Gospel—J. Hyland
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Grace has hit us safe with him where the water and the blood run by ribbon side which flow are of thin the double cure cleansing from its guilt and power 259 Will someone start at place?
All over the world and I don't know.
What to do and?
Good morning. Or else I can't.
The Lord cares.
I follow.
With me please, to Psalm 46.
The 46th Psalm. I'm going to read the title of this Psalm as well.
To the chief musician for the sons of Korah, a song upon Alamoth, God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we see her though the earth be moved, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea, though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Sila, there is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God.
The holy place of the Tabernacles of the Most High God is in the midst of her. She shall not be moved.
God shall help her. And that right Early the heathen raged. The kingdoms were moved. He uttered his voice. The earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. Sila, come, behold the works of the Lord. What desolations he hath made in the earth. He maketh wars to cease under the end of the earth. He breaketh the bow, and cuteth the spear, and sunder he burneth the chariot in the fire. Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the heathen.
I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us, the God of refuge.
The God of Jacob is our refuge, Selah. Well, I'd like to just speak on this Psalm with the Lord's help this evening because I enjoy some of these little songs in this way. They're little summaries of our life, our Christian life, that time when we come to the Lord Jesus and we find that there's refuge and salvation in him and cleansing in the precious blood of Christ. But then it doesn't end there. It takes us right through, as it were, our Christian lives until we're home in the glory.
Now the beginning is that time, as I say, when we come as sinners, and we find that there's refuge in Christ.
00:05:03
And that's the beginning of our lives, so to speak, As he said to the children of Israel when he outlined the Passover, he said, this is unto you the beginning of months. It was a new beginning. And many of us looked back to that time when we had that new beginning in our lives when we came. And we, we realized all the provision that God had made in Christ. But, you know, as I stand in a position like this, I find it a tremendous challenge to speak to a group like this, because sometimes I have the privilege and responsibility.
Of speaking to a group where I feel perhaps most are not saved, and I feel too perhaps that many have not heard a clear gospel. And that is a tremendous responsibility to present the gospel clearly and simply to those who are not saved or perhaps are hearing it for the first time. But, you know, I sometimes feel, as I look into it, of the faces of those who have heard it over and over again. I feel it almost a greater challenge because I wonder sometimes if there are those who have heard it over and over again.
And yet are indifferent to God's God speaking, are indifferent to the claims of Christ, are indifferent to their eternity. How sad that the heart becomes hardened as individuals hear it over and over and over again. Many years ago an evangelist was visiting in Sheffield, England, And Sheffield is noted, of course, for its steel mining. And he could hear these hammers going in the mines all day and all night. And so he said to the folks with whom he was staying. He said, how do you sleep with those that machinery going all the time?
All they said, if you stay here long enough, you'll get used to it. And I wonder sometimes if there are those who get used to hearing the gospel get used to hearing the warnings. And they it becomes they become dull appearing and they don't take it in, they don't heed it. How sad you think of Pharaoh. He had warning after warning from the servants of God, Moses and Aaron, and every time he refused to listen and heed the warning, his heart became a little harder. But you know, there was a sequel to that story that took place in Sheffield, England, because one time the equipment failed.
And the hammer stopped, and the whole town woke up. And, you know, I fear that there are those who hear the gospel. They hear that it's pounding into their souls, as it were. And yet there will be a time when they will hear it no longer and perhaps wake up to the awful reality of rejecting Christ. But it will be too late, too late, too late. You know, there are those who will raise their eyes in a lost eternity, and they will say, I lost my soul, You know, it says, how shall we escape?
If we neglect so great salvation and the boys and girls here know what it is to neglect something. When you come home from school and mother says, do you have any homework? And you say, well, it's just a little bit, I'll do it later. My friend is at the door. You put it off, you neglect. And then you go out to play. And mother calls you for supper a little later. And she says, did you get out that homework? And you say, no, I'll get on it after supper. And then after supper, something else comes up that you want to do and you put it off a little longer. And pretty soon mother calls you and says it's time to go to bed.
And you say, oh, I didn't do my homework. And how often I was told when I was a child, it's too late, it's time to go to bed. Well, the next day there was a little difficulty at school, perhaps, especially if the teacher checked the homework or asked for it to be passed in. And I would always hope that she didn't do that. But, you know, sometimes I'd have to stay in at recess or noon hour, get that homework caught up. There might have been a little penalty for neglecting it, but, you know, it was soon forgotten. But all to lift up your eyes and a lost eternity and to say I've lost my soul will be complete despair. In fact, I believe that that's one of the most awful things about hell is that there's no hope.
There is no hope. And you know that man who lifted up his eyes and requested a drop of water? He didn't ask to leave that place because he knew he could never leave that place. All he wanted was a little relief, which, of course, we never he never got and he never will get. You know, if you're sick or you're in a bad situation, well, you can always get through today because there's always hope that things will be better tomorrow. If you have pain, will you endure it for the moment because you look forward to that time when the pain will be relieved?
But there won't be anything like that in a lost eternity. Well, I want to look at this little Psalm because as I say, salvation is only the beginning, and I trust everyone here has come to that point where they know the Lord Jesus as their savior. Now, I read the title of this Psalm because I sometimes wish the titles of these Psalms were printed just a little bigger because I believe they're part of the original. They're part of the word of God. And if they're part of the word of God, it says every word of God is pure.
00:10:05
And it must have a message for us. And I've enjoyed some of these titles. Some of these Psalms are the Psalms of David. I like that because it's the personal experience of David as he experienced the Lord's care and provision for him. Religion isn't just a theology or some philosophy or something abstract. Just talk to those who have come to know the Savior and those who are a little older and have gone on in the path of faith. They know it's a reality. It's a personal experience. It's a personal, personal relationship.
With the Lord Jesus Christ. But this this title is very interesting. It says to the chief musician for the sons of Korah. Now if we were to go back to Numbers 26, we would find who Cora was. Cora was one of those who led a rebellion against God and against God's servant Moses. And we find that because of his rebellious heart the earth opened up and Cora and many of his family were were swallowed up in judgment. And it's just a little picture of what our hearts are by nature.
Where the rebellious sons of Adam, we are part of that fallen race, Adam reached out in rebellion against God.
He failed to recognize his responsibility to his creator, and that he was enjoying that garden at God's disposal. That's what man has done ever since. He doesn't want to recognize his responsibility to God. If he can tell himself he dies like a dog, then he has no responsibility to his creator. But God breathed into man's nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul. And Daniel stood before Belshazzar, the greatest king of his day, and he said, the God in his hand by breath is And whose are all thy ways hast thou not glorified?
It tells us he gives to all life and breath and all things in Timothy. He's the preserver of all men.
And yet man goes on, taking breath after breath, going on in his rebellious way, seeking his own lust and his happiness, and he leaves God out of his life. The fool hath said in his heart no God. It says that it's a day when there's No Fear of God before their eyes. I don't have to tell you that that's the condition of things around. Just go out and try to preach the gospel to those around. You'll find that they have no time for these things. They don't want to hear about God. Man has shut the pages of God's word. They don't even read it in the schools anymore. Why?
Because they don't want its light. God's word is faithful. God's Word gives warnings. God's Word tells us what our hearts are like, what we are by nature. It's true that God's Word also brings in the remedy, as we were speaking this morning with the boys and girls. And how it's the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, that cleanseth us from all sin. And he's made provision in that way. And his heart is brought out, particularly in the New Testament, where you have his son sent by the Father and he goes all the way to Calvary's cross because in this was manifest the love of God toward us.
In that he laid down his life for us. The Lord Jesus came, he died, that God showed his love. The Lord Jesus has displayed his love in making provision. But I say God's word is faithful. You know Queen Elizabeth the First, who reigned in England many, many years ago, she was reported to be a very vain person. In fact, as she got older, she didn't have the heart hardly to look at herself in a mirror. And you know, the master of the Royal Mint incurred disgrace because he cast an all too faithful likeness of her.
On the English shilling. And he was thrown into prison because of it. And the Queen Elizabeth ladies in waiting took the hint and they were very careful that Amir was not brought into her presence. In fact, they say that for the last 20 years of her life, she didn't have the heart to look at herself in the mirror. Why? Because the mirror exposed what she really was. You look in a mirror. If your mother sends you to wash your face, you might say, well, my face is not dirty, and what will she tell you? Go and look in the mirror.
And you can't argue with the mirror. The mirror shows exactly what the condition of our dirty face is.
Well, that's what the Word of God does. It speaks to our consciences. That's why they rejected the Lord Jesus When he was here. He was the light of the world. The light shone in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it. Not. They didn't like what he said as he exposed their sinful ways. Well, we need to come to this point where we realize that we are sinners, that we are the rebellious sons of Adam, that like Cora, who led that rebellion against God's servants in numbers.
About our hearts are no different. Man doesn't like to own that he's a Sinner. He doesn't like to come down.
He doesn't like to rid himself of those thoughts that he has and that high esteem that he has, and they teach us in school. Well, there's a little spark there, and if that spark is banned and propagated in the proper way, there's a little bit of good in everybody. That's not what the word of God teaches. When the when Nick the Lord Jesus spoke to Nicodemus, Nicodemus said to the Lord, we know that thou art a teacher come from God. For no man can do these miracles except God be with Him. But the Lord had to answer Nicodemus to show him that what man needed was not good teaching. He needed a new life.
00:15:32
Because that which is born of the flesh is flesh. If I have a pile of old rotten lumber and I leave it sitting, what happens? Does it get any better? No. I might throw a tarp over and it might look OK, but what's underneath still that old rotten lumber. It only gets worse as time goes on. It doesn't get better. That's what the flesh is. And so he said to Nicodemus, you don't need good teaching, you need a new life and you must be born again. Well, this Psalm was written for the sons of Korah. And we might say, well, how come? I thought you said Korah was judged and the earth play of asunder, and he was swallowed.
Well, if we were to go back to numbers, we would find it says this notwithstanding, the children of Korah died not. And I think it's so precious because here we have some of their descendants, and they're given this beautiful song, some of the of the descendants of Korra, whose heart was like that. And yet now they've been brought into blessing and given this Psalm, and it's a song upon Alamo. I like that because Alamak means soprano voices and you and I who know the Lord as our savior.
We've been given soprano voices. I don't know anything about music because I can neither start or carry a tune.
But I do know this, that the soprano notes are the highest notes in the scale. Oh brethren, we've been given the highest notes of praise possible. We who were once sinners lost. We were without God and without hope in this world. And yet we've been given the highest notes of praise. In fact, in in Scripture it's only the Redeem that ever truly sang. And it's interesting that you can search the book of Genesis and you'll never find singing mentioned. You never have singing mentioned in the word of God until you come to a redeemed people.
On the banks of the Red Sea. And that's the first time they're redeemed by the blood of the Passover lamb. They're brought out of Egypt. They see their enemies dead. There's complete deliverance as they stand on the banks of the Red Sea. And then and only then you have singing. I think I mentioned the other night that that's why you never have angels singing. They praise and they give glory and they say, but they never sing because there was no redemption for fallen angels. Angels have never experienced redemption because those who left their first estate, that hell was prepared.
For the devil and his angels and the world can sing when things go well. And when things are, you get along and things go well at school and you get that promotion that you were hoping for. But when something adverse is introduced, that happiness is gone because the Christian has a joy. It says your joy. No man, take it from you. I wouldn't trade places with anybody that wasn't a Christian. I sometimes wonder what those who don't know the Lord do when they get into a bad situation. When they lose a family member, a loved one, they lose their health. They lose perhaps their wealth. What do they do? You and I always have the Lord to turn to those of us who know Him as our savior.
David said in the 27th Psalm when my mother and father forsake me, then the Lord will take me up. In other words, he said, even when earthly relationships break down, I still have the Lord. No wonder people try to end their lives and they get depressed and all this kind of thing. Oh, I say, I wouldn't trade places with anyone who didn't know the Lord Jesus as their savior. What we have in Christ is so much better. We learn as we go on in our Christian lives that it's more than just the forgiveness of sins.
It's more than just to be delivered from hell, wonderful as that is. Do you know, when we were saved, it wasn't a thrill to know that as we sometimes sing, death and judgment are behind us. Grace and glory are before. Do you often think of that verse I have not seen nor ear heard, neither hath entered into the heart of man, the things that God hath prepared for them, that love Him. And so, as we went on in our Christian lives, we realized that there was far more than we ever anticipated. What He had for us was so much greater.
Than that which we left behind in the world. That's why Paul could count things that he wants.
Hell, dear, he could count them as nothing, because what he had in Christ was so much better.
And you know, if men could just realize that what Christ is offering, what God is offering through Christ, is so much better. If they could only realize that his heart is a heart of love and that he desires to bless. They wouldn't stay away. If man could just realize the blessing and love that's in the heart of God halls like this when a gospel isn't what are announced.
00:20:05
Wouldn't contain the people that would want to hear. But sad to say, man has a misconception of God. He has this conception that God is an austere God, that God delights in judgment. Now it is truly the God of light. And he hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained. But judgment is his strange work. You know, it's interesting in Revelation that before the most awful judgments fall, there's silence in the in heaven for the space of half an hour wide. Well, there may be other thoughts, but I've just thought of it this way. God would withhold those judgments.
As long as possible. And then, you know, when the judgments do begin to fall, they're swift and direct, as if God would first of all withhold it as long as possible, and then when he must judge because of his righteous character and man's sin, it's just as if he wants to get it behind him as quickly as possible. Because even in revelation, as those judgments fall, he's looking beyond to that time when he will be able to bless. That's God's whole desire. That's his ultimate purpose, is to bless man.
Well, it's a song upon Alamar. Now I want to look at this little Psalm in three ways.
We have what We have the little word, see Law three times. And so we have the chapter Psalm divided into 3 sections, what we might call 3 Selas. And I'd like to look at it in this way because I believe generally speaking, in the first Sila we might say we have the power of God, in the second Sila we have the presence of God, and in the third Selah, we have the peace of God. And we need to get a hold of these three things. This is what brings real joy in our Christian life, the power of God.
The presence of God and the peace of God. Now when you have the little word Selah, David often uses it in the Psalms. I believe it simply means a pause. And I'd like to pause tonight and consider these things. The world doesn't have time. They don't pause and consider their eternal destiny, in fact.
It's remarkable to see that the word muse is the Latin word to think, and the word amuse means not to think. And when was there ever a day when amusement is as prevalent as the day in which we live? And what is Satan doing? He's keeping men from thinking about God, keeping men insensitive to his eternal destiny and to his ruin if he can keep him occupied with all the pleasures and joys of this life.
Seemingly. Well then he's not thinking about God and eternity. I believe too. He's busy to keep the Christian from enjoying their portion of in Christ. It's all the amusement that's prevalent now. I want to be careful because I know there are those of us here tonight who have family and our families need a diversity and so on. But oh, how sad that Satan is so busy today to keep men rushing on to eternity following the course of this world and keep him amused so he's not thinking.
About God, well, he says here in the first verse, God is our refuge.
This is the beginning. When we came to that point where we found refuge, we were singing of that rock of age as cleft was for sin and how grace has hit us safe within. And if there's someone here tonight and you haven't taken refuge in the Lord Jesus, all that refuge is still available. You see, God never judges without doing two things. He always gives a warning and he always makes a way of escape. You find when God looked down in Genesis, he looked down into a world of sin, and not only into the world, but in demands hearts, because he knows the thoughts and intents of our hearts. And he looked down and he saw that the thoughts of man's heart was only evil continually.
And he said that it repented him that he had made man, and that because of man's sin that he was going to have to judge with a flood. And he did that. But what did he do? First he provided refuge in the art. It was the way of escape for any that would enter in. And he provided a warning too, because Noah preached righteousness for about 120 years. Sad to say, there were only eight that availed themselves of the refuge that he had provided. But nevertheless, that refuge and that warning were given when the judgment was going to fall on Nineveh because of their open sin and wickedness.
He again sent his prophet Jonah to give a warning, and Jonah preached. Yet 40 days and Nineveh shall be overthrown. And because of their repentance and turning toward God, the judgment didn't fall at that time. But you know, the judgment did fall eventually because over in name, which is about 120 or 30 years later, we find that the judgment did eventually fall on Nineveh. God spared that generation because they repented. But then he brought in judgment, and when God says he's going to bring in judgment.
00:25:05
We can be assured that his word stands. There are many who say, well, people have been talking about judgment. They've been talking about hell, they've been talking about the Lord's coming since the days of the Apostle Paul. And it hasn't happened. Well, you know, it says in the last days shall come scoffers who are walk after their own lusts and say, where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they are even until now. And when I hear people talk like that to me, it's just a proof that we're in the last days.
Because we know that in the last days, just before the judgment falls, people will talk like that. Well, God is our refuge. And you know Augustus, top lady who wrote that beautiful hymn we were singing, he knew what it was to experience refuge from a storm in this world. We know that he was out walking near his home in England along the coast, and a storm came up quickly, as can sometimes happen, along the coast. And he found refuge and shelter in the cleft of Iraq, along the rocky coastline of England. And as he stood there being.
Christian And his thoughts turned to the Lord Jesus and the refuge that he had in Christ from a far greater storm than any storm in this world, a refuge from the storm of judgment that is going to come. And so he wrote that beautiful hymn Rock of Ages. Well, God is our refuge, but it doesn't stop there. It says and strength, because, as I say, we find out when we come to the Lord Jesus that there's not only refuge from our sins, not only forgiveness and the cleansing of the blood of Christ, but now.
Their strength because as someone said one time, well, they'd like to be a Christian, but they didn't think they could live the Christian life well. God doesn't ask us to live the Christian life on our own strength. He's given us all things that pertain unto life and godliness. We have everything that we need, the Spirit of God indwelling us. The word of God is light and instruction. We have the Lord Jesus himself as the one who goes with us through the through the pathway and holds our hand and so on. All these things are His provision.
And when Israel looked back after traversing the wilderness for 40 years, they had to own that he had provided everything that was needed as they passed through that wilderness. And it says they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as Eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. I like that because you know the ego. It just flies up if there's a difficulty, and it's above the difficulty and it soars up there, well, the Lord can help us to do that. He can give us.
Kind speech so that we can leap over the problem says, by my God, have I run through a truth. By my God, have I leaped over a wall. But you say I can't get above the situation.
Well, it says. It says they shall run and not be weary. And so he said, I can't get above it. But the running person, he runs, and he finds daily strength as thy strength so shall thy days be. But you say, sometimes I'm not even running, they shall walk and not. And so whatever the situation he passes us through, he provides everything. For as I say, the people of the world don't experience this. You know, just because we're saved doesn't mean that we're immune to all the things.
That people in the world pass through because we're in a world of sin and sorrow. We have bodies of humiliation. And there are some who try to tell you if you reach a certain level of spirituality or whatever, that you won't be. You won't. You'll be immune to sickness and all these things. But we never find that in Scripture. In fact, it tells us in First Corinthians 10.
There are no temptation taken you, but such is his common demand. That is, we pass through all these things because we're here in this world. But then it says, But God is faithful, who will not tempt, suffer you to be tempted above that you're able to bear, but will with the temptation also make a way of escape that you may be able to bear it. And so as we pass through these things, then He proves His faithfulness, proves that he's able to bring us through, to give us the faith, to give us the grace, the strength, whatever is needed, and of all we received of His fullness and grace.
Upon grace, do we need more grace? He give us more grace. There's no limit to the supply. And so he's our strength. And then it says a very present health in trouble. I like that because, you know, I might offer to help you if you're ever in trouble. I might say, well, if you have a situation, just give me a call. Well, the situation might arise and you might call and I might have to shake my head and say or or I might not be available. I might you might try to call And how often have you tried to call the doctor and you get a machine that says, well, the doctor won't be in until Monday but you tried to call the accountant or the lawyer, someone that could help you in a bad situation and a machine said, well, he's not in call back. That's so frustrating. Say, I know they could help me, but they're not a present help.
00:30:07
And so I might be Observation arose. There's one who's always there. I speak reverently, who doesn't keep office hours like other folks, you can turn to him in any situation. And it says, thou, Wen thou prayest, enter into thy closet. And when thou shut thy door, pray to thy father, which is in secret, and thy father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. But, you know, sometimes we don't even have time to go into our closet. I often think of Nehemiah. You know, in the second chapter. There he was in a bad situation.
Asked a question by the king, he was sad in the presence of the king and the king. Kings in those days had the power of life and death. And here was the cup there said in the presence of the king. The king notices this, and he asks Nehemiah question. And Nehemiah knew that he had to answer wisely, that he might even lose his life if he didn't say the right thing. And I like what it says. So I pray to the God of heaven. And I said, under the king, he didn't have time to go into his closet. He didn't have time like Daniel to gather his four friends together and have a prayer meeting about it. He had to give an immediate answer. But between the time the king asked the question and he had to give an immediate answer, there was a swift little prayer went up.
We know from the story that God answered that prayer in a wonderful way. He granted him his request, and even more than he asked. It was a tremendous thing. He'd say, never would the king agree to something like that. And yet when there was that spirit of dependence, and when he turned to the Lord in his difficulty, he found that there was a very present health and trouble, and one who was able for the situation. Because perhaps you might get a hold of me and I might listen to the difficulty and I might have to shake my head and say, well, I can't help you on this one, it's too great for me.
But not only is the Lord available, but when we tell him the story, and he knows it already, but he likes to have us come independent. But when we tell him all the difficulty and trouble, then he's able for the situation. There's nothing too great. You know, I think of those women that were on their way to the Sepulchre early in the morning and they were talking about who was going to roll away the stone. There was a great obstacle, a great difficulty. But when they got there, they found that the stone had already been rolled away. Why? So the Lord Jesus could come out? No, He could he remember. Later on he came when they had the door shut for fear of the Jews. He came right through the wall.
He could have risen from the grave without the stone being rolled away, but there was that obstacle that hindered them from coming, and seeing that empty tomb, and it was already rolled away, he'd taken care of it so that they could look in and hear those glorious words. He is not here. He is risen, so he's able, for those obstacles that sometimes seem insurmountable. Well, as I say in this first Cela, if I can put it that way, we have the power of God, his power and salvation.
His power in our Christian lives we find that he's a present help in trouble. And then he says in verse two, Therefore will not we fear though the earth be removed and though the mountains be carried into the mids of the sea? You know, I've been struck recently to notice how many times we're told in the scripture not to fear. You know we haven't. It tells us in Timothy that those of us who know the Lord is our Savior. We haven't been given the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
And if you're afraid you didn't get that from the Lord, you've got it somewhere else. And yet, I have to say to my own heart how often I come to the circumstances of life. And there's fear. Why? Because I forget His power. I don't realize. Sometimes I forget His power in saving me. I forget His power in Prep.
Past circumstances, when I when he brought me through in so many wonderful ways. Well, we need to have a sense of his power. And there's one tonight who's on the throne. He's over everything. This is a day when the world seems out of control. And if he says, here though the earth be removed and the mountains carried in the midst of the sea, though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Sila. This is a day when everything seems, as I say, out of control, and men's hearts are failing them for fear.
And looking for those things that are coming on the earth, men realize that they're dealing with an interplay of economic and political forces that are out of their control. They know that something has to give, that things can't go on. And yet, sad to say, they won't turn to the Lord because that means they have to put themselves down and exalt Christ. And the flesh doesn't like to do that. The natural man doesn't like to own God in his life. But Jeff, you and I can sit here this evening who know the Lord as our Savior.
And we can have the peace of God that passes all understanding. How can we sit here quietly this evening and have this peace as the waters roar around us and there's chaos in political circles, there's chaos in in in the family and all these things. Oh, it's to know that we have been delivered from this world. It's to know that there's one who's over everything. I think of Esther, You know, you find that God is never mentioned by name in the book of Esther, the only book in the Bible that it's not mentioned.
00:35:19
And yet, you know, as you read the book of Esther, those things seemed out of control, and it seemed like the people of God were even going to be annihilated. When you come to the end, you have no doubt that though God isn't mentioned by name, God was working everything. He had everything in control. It says the King's heart is in the hand of the Lord as the rivers of water he turneth it wither, so ever he will. Well then he says, Sila and all, we need to stop and consider these things.
Sometimes life is so pressured. Life is so busy that we forget to meditate on the word of God. David said, oh how I love thy law. It is my meditation all the day. One of the characteristics of a clean animal was that he chewed the cud, which I believe brings before us that thought of meditation, of taking it and making it our own. Not just to read it quickly and then forget about it, Not just to experience the hand of God in our lives once, and then to forget about it, but to consider these things.
That he has done for us. Well then in the next Sela we have the peace of God, the presence of God. And he says here there is a river, The streams were of shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the Tabernacle of the Most High. Now I know that many of these Psalms are millennial in their character, and they look forward to that day when Israel will be brought into a wonderful position of blessing. They rejected their Messiah. When he came as the lowly days in Bethlehem's Manger, there was no room for him. In the end they tried to get rid of him as he began his public ministry, and finally they did cry away with him, crucify him.
But there is a day when he will not come in lowliness, but he will come in power and glory, and Israel will be drawn around himself once again. They will recognize their Messiah, They will, they will mourn, they will repent, and they will be brought into blessing. But you know, well these songs are prophetic in their character. Yet scripture always has a present application. And we've talked about the power of God. That's wonderful. But you know, I know a lot of people and they have a lot of power.
But I don't enjoy their company and they wouldn't be interested in meeting me. But not only do we have one that's above the situation.
One that's all powerful, but we have one who wants your company and mine. Now, God's desire was always for the company of his people. That's why Adam was created in the garden, and God enjoyed that communion with Adam. And as they walked and communed in the garden in the cool of the day, sad to say, sin came in and spoiled that communion, and Adam and Eve hid themselves because they knew that they had sinned and their conscience was at work.
But I just think of the Lord of the of God as he walked in the garden and he said, Where art thou, Adam? He wanted Adams Company. He wanted to bless Adam. It's true that he made them coats of skin, but he had to drive them out of that beautiful paradise. That communion was spoiled in that way. And yet now you and I can be brought back into this place, a blessing and communion. And that's what he wants. He's going to enjoy our company in the coming day.
He's looking forward to that time when he will have all the redeemed around himself and oh, what a day it's going to be, but he wants your company and mine now. He never leaves us nor forsakes us, but the question is, do we enjoy in our souls a sense of his presence with us? I think of the two on the way to Emmaus, it says Jesus himself drew near and went with them. Now they weren't conscious initially of whose presence it was that was with them. They didn't. They didn't know who it was.
But you know, he didn't leave them. He was there. They were acting in disobedience, and yet he draws near and goes with them. It says in Hebrews, I will never leave they, nor forsake thee. And so we need to be conscious of his presence. David said, Thou hast holding me by my right hand. That is, he had a conscious sense that the Lord was right there beside him. If somebody holds your hand, they have to be close beside you. What we need to have a sense in our souls.
Of his company. And this is what brings real joy and real happiness. This is what helps to smooth the difficulties. Isn't it nice to have somebody when you come to a difficult spot in life, somebody that goes through the trial with you? But you know we have someone who not only goes through the trial, but he fully understands. I remember one time a brother was going through a real trial and I went down to be with him for a few days. And I said to him, I'm glad to be with you in this trial, but I said I have to own that. I don't understand what you're going through because I've never been through a similar circumstance. But I said the Lord, no.
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He knows he's fully aware, and so it's nice not only to have somebody that goes through a trial with you, but somebody that's been through a similar trial. In fact, I believe that That's why in Corinthians he speaks of how he passes us through things so that we experience the comfort of God, so that we can comfort others with the same comfort wherewith we have been comforted ourselves of God. And so the Lord Jesus, as he walked through this world, he knew what it was to be hungry.
He knew what it was to be thirsty. He knew what it was to be weary with his journey. He knew what it was to suffer reproach. He could say reproach, have broken my heart. He was the man of sorrows, and appointed with grief when Lazarus was sick, it said, they said, he whom thou lovest is sick. And then he comes to the grave when Lazarus dies, and he weeps at the grave of Lazarus. With Mary and Martha, He entered into what they were going through. He felt these things as a man, and there's a man in the glory this evening.
Remain a man for all eternity. But you know, much of what the Lord suffered as he went through this world, was so that he might be a faithful and merciful high Priest. Now what he suffered at Calvary was to put away your sins and mine. But what he suffered as a man in this world was so that he we we could have one a great High Priest who is touched with the feeling of our infirmity. Well, it said, we find here in verse five, God is in the midst of her. She shall not be moved.
And doesn't it give us real confidence? You know, sometimes when I'm traveling, it's nice to have someone along because I'll get into a strange city and I get lost. And, you know, I had a brother with me this winter. We did some visiting together. And I said to him, you know, I said when you get into a city and you get lost, it's nice to have company. Because I said there isn't the same sense of panic. I said, you're just as lost. We're both just as lost. But at least we have company. It's nice to have somebody with us. When the difficulty arises, we get lost or something. And there just doesn't seem to be that same sense.
Of panic. Well, I say to realize that God is with us to see him right there. Oh, what confidence she shall not be. God is in the midst of her. She shall not be moved. Well, God shall help her and that right early. Well, I believe Mr. Darby translates this at the dawn of the morning.
And you know the coming of the Lord draws nigh. The morning is about to dawn. How sad for those who are left behind, those who don't know the Lord as their savior, because the Lord's coming will mean different things for different people. To you and I, who know the Lord as our Savior, it will mean that we're caught up and to meet the Lord in the air and ever with the Lord. But all for those that are left, it will mean that they are forever left behind. Going to tell a little story for those of us who are younger, but I remember one time I was returning from Newfoundland to Ottawa.
And I had a flight to catch. And so a brother very kindly offered to drive me to the airport. And it's about an hour from Corner Brook to Stephenville, New Car to Deer Lake, NL. And so I said when we have a distance to drive, I always like to be a little early. And so we left plenty of time. Another brother came along where the three of us and we were driving down the highway with little concern and all of a sudden he heard a bang from under the car and we realized that we had a flat tire. Well, we thought no difficulty because there's three of us and we can change a flat tire, no problem.
Well, we got out, we jacked up the car, we took the tire off, we put the spare tire on, we let down the Jack and to our horror the the spare was as flat as the one that we'd taken off. It had a slow leak and in the brothers car all winter and he didn't realize that the air had gone out of it. Well again, we thought there would be no difficulty because we said, well, it's probably just a slow leap and usually a lot of people in Newfoundland will carry a tire pump because some of the roads are not what they perhaps.
Could or should be. And so we thought, well, if we can hail some cars, we'll find a tire pump in short order.
Well, we began to hail one car after another and they would stop and we would ask if there was a tire pump. No one had a tire pump. And finally after a long while and I was watching my watch, we finally found a tire pump and we took turns and we pumped that tire as fast as we could. We got it up to a level we thought was safe to drive. We jumped in the car. I held on to the dashboard and that brother drove down that highway. I kept watching my watch. We pulled up to the traffic light just outside the airport.
We were 15 minutes late, but the brother said there's the tale of your plane over the fence. Your lake is just a small airport. And so we we waited for the red light, and as the light turned green, I saw the tail of that plane begin to turn the taxi out to the runway. I walked in that airport. It was empty.
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I said to the man behind the counter. I said I guess I've missed my flight. He said yes, you have. My hands were blocked from changing a tire. I said we had a flat tire.
And I came out on the sidewalk, and I watched that plane as it taxied out for the runway, paused a few moments, revved its engines and began to thrust. As it rolled down the runway, I saw it take off so gracefully into the air and turn and head for Ottawa. And I'm telling you, if you've never had an experience like that, you don't know what an awful sinking feeling it is to have a plain leave on which you hope to be on. Well, I went back into the man behind the counter. I took out my ticket and I said, can I get a flight for tomorrow?
And he said to me, your ticket's no good for tomorrow.
And I looked at that man, and I stood there, and I looked at that ticket, and I thought of those who are not ready when the Lord comes. I had a seat on that claim, but I missed it. But all I wonder if there are those. And you don't have that passport that you want. You need that the blood of Christ. You haven't accepted God's offer of salvation. And when the Lord comes to be left behind in all the awful finality of those who come, and they knock on that door, and they say, Lord, Lord, open unto us.
And that voice comes back depart from me. I never knew you. That door is never opened again. Once it's closed. Well, you know, I looked at that man and he said to me, he said, you know, I had a similar experience about two or three weeks ago. So he said I'll change your ticket and I won't charge you anything. And I was able to get a flight for the next day and I was thankful. But I thought again, a 24 hour delay, a little inconvenience.
But nothing compared to those who are not ready when the Lord comes. I eventually, the next day did get home and I was glad to get home. But all I say, if there's someone here and you've heard the gospel over and over again and you're just putting it off, I believe there are probably more in hell tonight to put it off than those that we've actually rejected. You know, there are three ways we can accept that we can receive the gospel message when it goes forth. We can be like the Philippian jailer who accepted what he heard believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
And thou shalt be saved wasn't a very long message, and yet he received that message.
He took, he accepted it, he believed, and he rejoiced with all his house. But then you know, there was another man that Paul preached to. His name was King Agriculture, and he said, Almost thou persuadeth me to be a Christian. In other words, he said almost, but I don't want it. And you know, the Lord Jesus said, he that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my word, Hath one that judgeth him the word which I have spoken the same shall judge him in the last day, And how solemn in a lost eternity, for those who remember the word of God, remember a verse like John 316 or first John 1:00 and 7:00.
And yet it's no longer applicable to them as to a point of refuge. It rises in judgment of them. How sad for those that reject. But then there's those that neglect, because there was a man named Felix, and Paul also spoke to Felix, and he was faithful with Felix. And Felix trembled. But what did he say? When I have a more convenient season, I will call for thee. In other words, he put it off. He said. Not, not, not right now, He said another day. We never read the feelings at a more convenient season, because God's time is now.
God says, behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. And you know not only that, but the older we are, the harder it is to become, to come to the Lord Jesus. Because it says in Proverbs we're holding with the cords of our sin. And as we get older, it's just like Satan is binding us with those cords of sin. And I think of boys and girls and young people who sit under the sound of the gospel. And they, they harden their hearts, they turn away, they get a little older, there's more of those cords of sin because it says remember now, thy creator.
In the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not nor the years draw nigh when thou shalt say I have no pleasure in them. You know, I've seen children at home at Sunday school and that we have a bus. That we pick up children for Sunday school on Lords the afternoon. And I've seen little kids come when they were three and four years of age. And you know they were always eager to come and sing Jesus Loves me and say their memory verse and answer a question. And then they got a little older and maybe they came, but they weren't so eager to participate.
And then they got a little older and they didn't come to the Lord Jesus. And maybe they only came once in a while, came on a special occasion when there was a treat or something like that. And then they got maybe up into their early teens. And when we went to pick them up, they said, no, we're not interested in hearing about the Lord. The evil days came when they said we have no pleasure in these things. I remember a man coming to our Sunday school years ago when I was very young, but I never forgot what he told us because he said when he was a boy he liked to fly a kite.
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And I'm sure the boys and girls here like to fly a kite on a windy day. Well, he got a new kite off her birthday, perhaps, and he was waiting for just the right kind of day to fly that kite. Well, one morning he got up and there was no school. And he looked out and the trees were blowing in the breeze and he thought, this is just the right kind of day to fly my kite. So he got up quickly. I don't know if he took time for breakfast, but he dressed and he was just about to go out the door and his mother called him and said, Donnie.
I'd like you to stay in this morning and listen for a very, very important phone call, she said. I've got to go out, but I can't miss this phone call. And oh, he was so disappointed. He didn't want to miss flying his kite, but he said he would stay in. And so his mother went off to honor Aaron and he was there and he was kind of feeling sorry for himself and didn't know what to do. He got looking at that kite and that ball of string and he got looking at that telephone that was sitting on the table, one of those kind with the receiver on top, that sit on a desk.
And he thought, I wonder how many times I can wrap that kite string around the telephone before it rings. And so he took that. The more he thought about, the more he wondered. And so he took that phone, and he undid the string from his kite and he started to wrap it around that phone and around the base and the receiver of that phone. And he wrapped, and he wrapped and he wrapped. And that ball of string got smaller and smaller and smaller, and there were more cords the more he wrapped, the longer he wrapped. And all of a sudden.
The phone rang. Oh, he thought, How am I going to answer it? He hadn't considered what would happen if the call came through. And so he started to unravel that string, and it began to fall in the heap on the floor, and he was unraveling, and the phone was ringing and ringing and ringing, and the person was very patient. They waited and they waited, and they let it ring a number of times. And finally he got that string off and he picked up the phone, and all he heard was a dial tone on the other end. The person was patient, but they thought no one was going to answer.
And as he undid those chords, it took too long and all I think of that boys and girls, as you get older and Satan binds that heart with those cords of sin, because as we get older there's more and more to attract our hearts. Satan has so much, and you just talk to people as to when they became Christians, you'll find that most were saved when they were young because we come as children, even those who are older, we have to come in that way because except we become as little children.
We cannot see the Kingdom of God well at the dawn of the morning. Well, the wealthy unsaved. It's going to mean eternal judgment in the door of grace closed. How glad for you and I who know Christ as our Savior, because it will mean to hear that shout and be called away to be with our blessed Savior. Well, he speaks here in verse 6. The heathen raged. The kingdoms were moved. He uttered his voice. The earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us.
The God of Jacob is our refuge, Sila, You know you have that little expression, the Lord of hosts over and over again in the Old Testament, because we have one who is, who is the Lord of Hosts. In 24 times in the little book of Malachi you have that expression, the Lord of Hosts. His people were going on in weakness. They felt that weakness, and yet they had one who was all powerful. The Lord Jesus said in the world, ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer.
I have overcome the world, he said. Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. And just as Israel, when they went in to take the promised land, there was that man going before them with the drawn sword. The captain of the Lord told So you and I have won. Who's the captain of the Lorde host? Well then he says, the God of Jacob. I like that you often find again this expression because if it said the God of Israel, well, you say, of course, because that means the Prince of God with God. And it is true that we've been brought as beggars from the Dunghill. He set us among Princess, set our feet on a rock and established our going.
But when it's the God of Jacob, it's what we are by nature. Jacob was a schemer, one who tried to do things by his own devices and his own strength. And to me, it's so precious here because it's just as if he says, I know you're acting like men in the flesh, but I'm still your God. He's still the God of Jacob. And so he's the God of Jacob is our refuge. He always brings us back to that point. You know, I believe that's why it's good when we're we're as Christians that we hear the gospel message because we need to be reminded. David said he never wanted to forget, forget the pit from whence he was dead. And it's good to go back and refresh our hearts.
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It's true. As we go on in our Christian lives, we need to take in that meat. And Paul had to rebuke the Corinthian Saints because he should have been feeding them with me when he was feeding them with milk because of their state.
But, you know, as we grow older and natural things, we have a baby. Well, it drinks milk. But as we grow older, we take in other things. But we never give up milk entirely. We always need milk. Perhaps we have it in a little different form. And so we need the sincere milk of the word. It's the refreshment that comes in going back and realizing what God has done for us. And, you know, Paul said that he was ready to preach the gospel to those who were at Rome. And who was he writing to? He was writing to the Saints. I know his heart went beyond the Saints, but he was writing there instead.
He was going to declare unto them the gospel. Well, we need to sit under the gospel. We need to be refreshed. We need to be reminded.
And then he says, in the next Selah, Here we have the peace of God, He says, Come, behold the works of the Lord verse eight. What desolation He hath made in the earth. He maketh wars to cease under the end of the earth. He breaketh the bow and cutteth the spirits. Under he burneth the chariot and fire in the fire. Well, I know again this speaks of a future day. And we little realize what a day is coming for this world when everything will be brought into order and blessing. A king shall reign in righteousness. It will be a wonderful reign of peace.
There's no peace in this world today because they cast out the Prince of Peace and they chose Barabbas and that which characterized Barabbas.
And they'll never be peace in this world again until the Prince of peace has his rightful place. But, you know, he wants us to have that in the enjoyment of that peace in our hearts. Now it's true, there's no peace in this world. But you can. You and I can have this peace. It's that peace that he's left with his disciples in John 14. Again, it's that peace of God that passeth all understanding. And then in verse 10, he says these still and know that I am God. Well, you know, we don't like to be still. I think of Israel as they came to the banks of the Red Sea. They had the sea in front of them, They had a mountain on each side of them, and the enemy was coming behind them.
And he says, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. And so as they stood still, he did come in in a very wonderful way. But, you know, this is the day when we don't like to stand still. We like to do things in our own strength. We like to straighten things out. Well, I think of Ruth, you know, she was told by Naomi. Sit still, my daughter, and see how the matter will fall. For the man will surely accomplish the thing this day. And there's one whose head over all things to the Church, which is his body. He's, he's on the throne. He's over everything. Sometimes things seem out of hand.
But they're never out of the Lord's hand. Whether we have that peace as we recognize the power of God in the presence, and we enjoy His presence because there's a progression here, as we have that sense of that power, as we enjoy that His presence, then we can have this peace in our hearts and we can be still Well, He says I will be exalted in the earth, and there is a day when He will be exalted, and it ought to encourage our hearts in following a rejected Christ to know there's a day when He will have his rightful place and we will be associated with him.
And then he says again, the Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. See life. So he comes back again to that refuge. And brethren, may we never tire of hearing the simple gospel story. It's the ground of every blessing that you and I possess. And if we ever get tired of going back in our thoughts and our hearts to Calvary, if we ever get tired of speaking and singing of the precious blood of Christ, we ought to get down on our on our knees and examine our souls, because it's going to be our eternal theme in that coming day.
Well, I just trust this will encourage our hearts. And I say again, if there's someone here and you don't know the Lord is your savior, all this is available for you. This is the positive side of Christianity. People think of what they'll have to give up if they come to the Lord. But what we gain in Christianity is so, so much greater. Well, let's press on rather than the little time that remains. We're almost to that point when we're going to see Him, be with him and be like Him and praise Him in that eternal song.
Shall we pray?