As we were singing that hymn, I was thinking about what the Lord tells us of himself in the book of Revelation, that his name, his name is faithful and true. What a blessing it is to have a God who is faithful to all of his promises.

Let's open our Bibles to Psalm 89, Psalm 89. I believe, Marvin, you're going to be preaching on the Lord's faithfulness tonight and his mercies. I wanted to read this passage of scripture.

Psalm 89, beginning at verse 1, I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever. With my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations. For I have said, mercy shall be built up forever. Thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens. I have made a covenant with my chosen. I have sworn unto David my servant. Thy seed will I establish forever and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah. And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O Lord, thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints. For who in the heavens can be compared unto the Lord? Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord? God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him. O Lord God of hosts, who is a strong Lord like unto Thee, or to Thy faithfulness round about Thee? Thou rulest the raging of the sea, and when the waves thereof arise, Thou stillest them.

I want us to pray for a group in Venezuela that I've been corresponding with for a couple of years, actually. Hugo meets with them weekly on Skype or whatever they... His name is Rafael. They're about an hour out of Caracas. And he sent me some videos that were pretty revealing as to what the situation is down there. So I told him that we would certainly be praying for them. He's preaching to a small group. And right now, with the political unrest, the local merchants are increasing the prices of everything. So we're going to actually have a check tonight that we're going to send down there. Hugo is supposed to be here, and he knows how to get money to them. electronically. So we'll be doing that tomorrow, I guess. So his name is Raphael.

So let's let's pray together. Our merciful and faithful Lord, we thank you that you are always faithful to your word. You're faithful to your covenants. you're faithful to your people. Lord, you're your nature. Your name is faithful. You can be nothing less. Lord, we look at our ourselves and how how unfaithful we can be. What comfort? What hope we have in knowing that you made a covenant with the seat of David and that that covenant goes all the way back to eternity past before time ever was. And you will be faithful to keep your promises as the Lord Jesus was faithful to fulfill the work of redemption for us.

Lord, you've said that where two or three are gathered together in thy name, you are there in the midst of them. And oh, how how hopeful and how thankful we are for your faithfulness tonight to be here with us and to meet with us. Lord, you know where all of your people are and we pray for our our friends and our brethren in Venezuela. And we asked Lord that you would provide and protect for them, protect them and your gospel would go forth as a result of this going on down there now, Lord, that you've ordained and purposed that you would use it for your glory.

Lord, we pray that you would give Marvin now the words to speak that would glorify Christ and would edify your church. And thank you for him. Give us ears to hear as we rejoice in the gospel message. We ask it in Christ's name. Amen.

Marvin and Glenda Stoniker have been vacationing with their kids down here in Florida. And they're headed back home tomorrow, Fairmont, West Virginia. I asked Marvin if he would preach for us tonight. And of course, he was happy to do that. So Marvin, we're going to sing one more hymn, and then you come, brother, OK? All right.

number nine in the gospel hymn spiral hymnal, number nine. Let's all stand together.

Is not that I did choose thee, for Lord, that could not be?
This heart would still refuse thee, hast thou not chosen me?
thou from the sin that stained me has cleansed and set me free
of old thou hast ordained me that I should live to thee

Your love had no beginning.
No cause in me was found that you should choose to save me.
a sinner strongly bound.
But grace not earned or sought for was purpose for my soul.
For me salvation wrought, for Christ paid the dreadful toll.
was sovereign mercy called me and taught my opening mine.
The world had else enthralled me to heavenly glories blind.
My heart owns none before thee, for thy rich grace I thirst.
This knowing, if I loved thee, thou must have loved me first.

Please be seated.

It is such a joy and a privilege to be here with you tonight. I thank the Lord. I love, first of all, I love all of you. It's God's people that have been drawn together. Your pastor and your sweet wife has been my friend for a long time, long time. And for that, I'm so thankful. The fellowship that we've been able to enjoy together Just being able to be with God's people. What a privilege, what a privilege.

I'm gonna ask you to take your Bibles and turn with me to the book of Lamentations. Lamentations. Chapter three, Lamentations chapter three. I'll be looking at verses 21 through 26. I was looking at a passage before I settled on Lamentations, and I felt as though that's where I needed to be. And Greg, you've never done this, I know. Just a day, half a day, a few hours before you're ready to preach, change your mind. Your mind was already changed. And it's amazing to me as I was listening to the song that we just sang, speaking of the blessed hope of our Lord and his goodness and mercy. I wanna preach tonight on the subject, I've entitled it A Blessed Recollection of Hope. A blessed recalling. I wanna call back something that the Lord has been pleased, that the Lord is pleased to teach all of his people, but to bring them back, to cause them to remember the goodness and the mercy of Almighty God.

You know, every believer knows something. of God's mercy and grace to him. He knows something about it. But if you'd ask a believer, wherein lies your hope? I got this from Brother Henry, Greg. Brother Henry said, somebody can ask you, tell me what you believe. And a believer will say, well, and you'll begin to go over everything that you've heard for the last Remember how long you've been sitting under the gospel. Some things that you've learned, some things that were taught. And you know, you know, you know some things, you know some things, you've been taught some things, but trying to bring it down to just the heart. But Henry said, whenever a man stands up and God's put a message on his heart and he just kind of systematically lays it out sets forth the glory of God in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. And a believer will say, that's what I believe right there. That's what I believe. Tonight I pray that we are able to just look for just a moment and just recollect on what the Lord's taught us. Just bring back to my memory, Lord, some things that you've been pleased to teach me.

Greg and I was talking a moment ago, and he made a statement so true, we've all said it. You know, you really don't know something, really, until you experience it. I know, I've sat, listened to the gospel, and I know something about the frailty of this life, the fleetingness of this life. This life is but a vapor. We know that, we know that. You'll agree with that, I know that. But you know the Lord has a way in which he can bring his people to know it. And you experience something. It's brought back to your memory through going through it.

Well, that's what I'd like for us to consider. I want us to consider out of God's Word the blessed subject of recalling, remembering. I'm convinced that every believer, when he hears the confession of another believer that has some hope in Christ Jesus, and he hears that hope spoken of, set forth, and he'll say, that's what I believe, that's what I believe.

Jeremiah had penned the words that will, look, they're not the words of a man. These rather are the words of Almighty God, the God-man mediator. Set forth through the vessel of a man, words that perfectly set forth. the days of the humiliation of our Lord and Savior, his experience, the God-man mediator. The Lord Jesus Christ said these words. He said, I am the man that has seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.

Now let me ask you something, you that know him, Don't you agree with that? You say, well, you don't know some things I've gone through, Marvin. Well, maybe I don't know exactly what you've gone through, but I can tell you this. Only the Lord himself knows truly by experience suffering. Only the Lord Jesus Christ. I am the man that have seen the affliction of the rod of his wrath. Wrath that was poured out by God Almighty in absolute justice. Justice. That which was deserving of every object of God's mercy that the Lord was pleased to call out of darkness, sin, and unbelief.

And having considered that which the Lord Jesus Christ vicariously suffered on the behalf of his people, and beholding by faith, believing the Lord in his account of his experience, that's when a believer will say, that which he suffered on my behalf, that which he suffered. What did he suffer? I can't even enter into that, I don't know. I don't know the depth of his suffering. But what he suffered on the behalf of his people, he suffered it, and that suffering was for me. If I be his, if you're his, it was for you.

The scripture says here in Lamentations chapter three, Verse 21, the scripture says, this I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. I've got some hope tonight. I am absolutely, by the grace of God, convinced that when the Lord Jesus Christ went to Calvary, I believe the Lord's given me a heart to believe him. That when he died, he died for me.

Marvin, what gives you any hope that the Lord Jesus Christ died for you? I believe him. Is that all you got? That's all I got. That's all I need. I have nothing else, I have nothing else on which to hope. And when he went to Calvary's tree, this I recall to my mind, I've got a recollection here. And oh how easily, how quickly I'll admit, I don't know, I don't know the depth of what he suffered, I don't know. But to have a recollection, that whatever was demanded of me, he bore and put it away. Now let me ask you this. You that know him, do you have any other hope than that? Have you got anything that'll give you any hope whatsoever that when he died and satisfied God's justice, wrath, Have you got anything that'll be better than that? Believers say, I don't have anything. He died for me.

When a believer, by the reminding grace of God's Spirit, recalls, that's what he said in verse 21, this I recall. It made, it returned, made to think on it again. Just, just, for a moment, just stop for a moment. And just think, what have we got tonight? We've got some peace, we've got some comfort. That before God, all is well. God has been satisfied.

Verse 22, it is of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed. because his compassions fail not. It is of the Lord's mercies. His mercies that follow his people. How many mercies do we need? I don't know, but all that I need, he supplies. I know that, I know it. I know that what he's done is sufficient. When the Lord Jesus Christ cried from the cross, it is finished. Was there anything left, left to accomplish? At his word, it was over.

It is of the Lord's mercies God's people know that but for His grace and power to keep them, to uphold them, unless He kept me, I'd leave. Unless He sustained me, I'd quit. I would leave. Somebody said, well, you'd never find me leaving. Now all you others, you might leave. but you won't find me leaving. I won't forsake you. Yeah, that's what Peter said. Yeah, all others, yeah. But when you need somebody, Lord, I'm your man. I'll be there.

Peter, before the cock crows twice, you'll deny me three times. Boy, one of those accounts, Greg, when it says, and when he did, the Lord just looked at him. Every time I read that passage of scripture, the Lord just looked at him and I thought, oh. My heart just breaks just reading it. His mercies, the Lord's mercies, it is the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed because his compassions fail not. They don't fail. I can give anybody here a million reasons for his mercies to fail me if it's left up to me. But because he faileth not, it is of his mercies.

Psalm 98, 17, 18. Unless the capital L, capital O, capital R, capital D, unless the Lord, the Lord who chose us, Jehovah, unless the Lord, God Almighty, unless the Lord, the Father who chose us, the Son who redeemed us, the Spirit of God that quickened us, except unless the Lord had been my help, my soul had almost, margin says quickly. Boy, that puts a new twist on it. I always tell the people there back home, I say, Look the word up, find out my, unless the Lord been my help, my soul had almost, no, no, my heart would have quickly, quickly dwelt in silence.

When I said, my foot slippeth, thy mercy, O Lord, held me up. When I read that, I couldn't help but think about it. Here's Peter. It was Peter. Lord, save me. Save me. A believer never tires of asking the Lord. Lord, save me. And they said, well, had you asked the Lord to save you before? Yeah. Well, don't you believe he did? Yeah. And why do you keep saying that? Because I need him to save me. Lord, don't leave me to myself. Well, don't you think the Lord is gonna be true to his word? Yes. Didn't he said, I'll never leave you and I'll never forsake you? Yes. And what are you gonna do? I'm gonna ask him, Lord, don't leave me. Don't leave me to myself. Lord, save me by your grace. Save me by your power. Lord, unless you save me, I'm not gonna make it. I'm not gonna make it. By grace, when all these impotent supports are shown to be nothing more than failures. My self-righteous works, my powerless will, exercise your free will.

An old believer hears that and he said, my free will, my will is not free, it's not free. You know, I looked that up one time just to kind of get an idea of what it was called, free will. Bound by nothing. My nature, I'm bound. I'm a trespasser. I'm a sinner.

2 Corinthians 4, 8, and 9, we're troubled, pressed hard is what that means. Pressed hard on every side. We're not distressed, we're not crushed. We're perplexed, but not in despair. Destroyed, persecuted, not forsaken. Cast down, but not destroyed.

Oh, the streams of God's mercy. I just wanted to recollect one more time. I just wanted to talk about it one more time. Just listen. to the word of our blessed Savior. His mercies fail not.

Verse 22, here's the reason. It's of the Lord's mercies that were not consumed because, because I'm strong enough to keep myself, because I'm strong enough to maintain my standing before God, my faithfulness. No, because his companions, compassions, I'm sorry, Fail not. All but for his hand of chastening love.

I was talking to John Chapman one day, and the Lord had recently blessed me with one of the greatest blessings in this life that I can recollect. And he gave me a stroke, gave me a brain bleed stroke. What a blessing, what a blessing. I still feel the effects of it. Somebody can say, well, you sound like the old Marvin to me. Well, I can tell you this, inside, I can tell you there's some things that I can tell.

John told me, John just had a little episode himself, He told me, he said, you know why we had these strokes? I just wanted to hear what he was gonna say. I said, why? He said, because we needed them. I said, you're right. Yeah, we do. Why? Because his compassions fail not.

Whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth, discourageth every son that he receiveth. David declared in Psalm 31, nine and 10, have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am in trouble. Mine eye is consumed with grief, yea, my soul and my belly. For my life is spent with grief and my years with sighing. My strength faileth because of mine iniquity and my bones are consumed.

Oh, it is of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed. Lord, thank you for not giving me what I deserved. Lord, thank you that you would bear, that you'd bear it, put away the guilt.

Even under the hand of his chastening love, I remember my kids growing up, and you know, I would always just, oh, I hated to have to whip my kids, but I'd tell them, all four of them. One of them, the oldest one, I don't wanna say who it was, but the oldest one, I only got one son, I got three daughters, I don't wanna say who it is, but he was the one that got the most, believe me. And I would tell him, I said, listen, I don't want to have, I don't want to do this, but I have to, I have to, because I love you. Because if I don't, then I'll be the one that later on gets chastised by the Lord through you. If I don't chase you, the Lord is chasing me. because I must discipline you. You need it, you need it. Believe me, you need it.

And why do we go through these chastisements, these trials and tribulations? Why, why? I'll guarantee you, I know a few, a few of the situations of you here in this building tonight. And I know, I know you're going through some tough times. I know you are. I know it's tough. But I'm telling you, you that know Him, you'll agree with me 100%. It's good that I've been afflicted. It's good. It's good.

Is it painful? Yes. Is it hard? Yes. Is it a trial? Yes. Does it hurt? Yes. Is it good? Yes. It's good. It is of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed because his compassions, his bowels of love, pity fail not. He loves his people. He loves his people and gives them that which is best.

Verse 23. They are new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness. That's what we just sang. Great, oh Lord, how great is your faithfulness to this needy sinner. They are new every morning. A believer, get up, his trials, the joys, whatever the Lord allows him the privilege to go through. It's like he, it's brand new today. You got a suffering that's going through. It's new. And you learn, he's taught. But here's the joy of it. The Lord sent it. The Lord sent it.

Do you realize the sting that that takes away from the pain? You know, the Lord sent this. The Lord gave me this. If I look at it, if I look at trials and tribulations, I'm just like you are. You're like me, we're all the same. We just, you know, we're gonna find something to, you know, gripe about. But what a joy that the Lord would bless his people. That which would cause them to cast themselves upon his mercy. And then give them a heart to say thank you. Thank you.

There's a daily need of his compassions to fail not. His compassions fail not. How do you know that? Because he's never failed me. I think by the grace of God, I'm standing here tonight, and the Lord's been good to us, kept us all these times. We have daily needs, he has daily provisions. And what a sweet renewal. of those daily provisions. And we're so thankful. Thank you.

I was talking about my kids. I had a spank one time. Gabe told me this. He was 18 years old. He was as tall as I was, Greg, at 18. That was last year. I had to give him a whip and put my belt off and whipped him. He just stood there and took it. And he told me after that, he said, Dad, you know what the best thing you ever did for me? I said, what? He said, you whipped me. And I said, Gabe, I didn't want to. He said, I know you didn't. But he said, I needed it. I needed it. And I think, wow. I thank the Lord. Lord, these daily reminders of your compassion, your goodness, how much we need it.

Every believer needs a fresh reminder that the Lord will not leave him or forsake him. And that blessed truth is taught through tribulation. I've heard people say concerning their children, I love them too much to discipline them. Those that the Lord loves, he chastens. He doesn't leave them to themselves. To think that the Lord, when he chastens us, causes us to cry unto him, he hears us. That's a blessed thought to me. To be able to just cry unto the Lord and say, Lord, thank you for hearing me. The only way I know you hear me is because you said that you hear me. And you know the hurt, you know the pain, but Lord, the joy to be able to talk and hear you.

Psalm 36, five, thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens, and thy faithfulness reacheth under the clouds. Far above our reach, how thankful we are. Zephaniah 3, five, every morning does he bring his judgment his verdict to show mercy, to light, and he faileth not. 2 Timothy 2.13, if we believe not, he abideth faithful. He cannot deny himself. And you think, when I'm so prone to wonder that he would not let me go. What a friend, what a savior. What a God. We've got some hope because God Almighty is merciful. His compassion fails not. He's faithful. He's faithful to his covenant. He's faithful to his word, to his people, to his purpose. He's faithful, faithful.

He said in Malachi 3.6, I am the Lord. I changed not. Therefore, sons of Jacob. Boy, I tell you, that's another title that a believer will say, that's me. You talk about a son of Jacob, that's me. What's your name, Jacob? Supplanter, trickster, huckster, cheat, liar, conniver, not anymore. Your name is Israel, the prince with God.

Lord, thank you. Thank you for your kindness. Verse 24, back in Lamentations 3. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul. Therefore, I will hope in him. The Lord is my portion, my allotment, what that word means. The Lord is my allotment. He's my inheritance. You take mama or dad and they've got something they're gonna leave to their kids, gonna leave them an inheritance. And they all get a portion. They're all gonna get a portion of it. And here, the writer to the book of Lamentations, Jeremiah, he says, the Lord is my portion. The Lord is my portion. The Lord is my inheritance. I will hope in him. I hope in him.

Being taught by the Spirit of God who bears witness to God's people, This is the truth concerning what Almighty God has been pleased to give to his people, himself. He's given himself. But all other false encouragements, false encouragements and failings, he's there.

There was a group of people that was following the Lord one day. And he said some things that just didn't sit well with him. And they said, that's a hard saying. Who can hear that? You listen to the things that the Lord has said concerning us. I know what the world, the world and its religion, everybody's good, there's a little good in everybody. You that know him, you know better than that. as you're born in Adam, there dwelleth no good thing in me. I know that. I don't know it as I should, but I know something about it.

But here, this group of people, some of them didn't wanna follow the Lord anymore. Why? Because it was a hard saying. And they followed him no more. And the Lord turned to his own. And he said, will you go away also? Now you think about that, I'm just gonna ask you, all ask ourselves here. Where are you gonna go except to him? Where are you gonna go? Will you go away also? And Peter said, Lord, where are we gonna go? Thou hast the words of life, eternal life, and we're persuaded. You're the Messiah, where are you gonna go?

This life is fleeting. I told you a while ago, I know just a little bit more about that. Just a little bit of realizing if the Lord were to please to take me out of this world, I told Greg a few minutes ago, had a little episode here a couple of months ago, and the last thing I remember, this is what I remember, my stomach was hurting, I remember that. And I remember my daughter-in-law saying, Marvin, stay with us. And the next thing I remember, as I was waking up, I was sitting in a wheelchair with a cover, a blanket or something on me, and that's the last thing I remember. And I thought to myself, if the Lord be pleased to take me out of this world, I'd have never known I'd gone. I didn't know anything. It was nothing.

Now, you that know him, the answer to that question, that answer that the Lord asked Peter, will you go away? Where am I gonna go? Where am I going, Lord? You have the words of eternal life. We are needy vessels of God's mercy and thankful. And when a helpless sinner is brought to repentance, It's then that that needy sinner seeks mercy. God's already shown him mercy, gives him a new heart, he cries out, Lord, have mercy on me. Have mercy.

I think about that thief that was on the cross, dying thief. And those words, here he was, he was guilty, he was condemned, he was caught, he was tried, he was convicted, He's on a cross. Lord, when you enter into your kingdom, now let me ask you this, if these are not sweet words to you. Lord, when you enter your kingdom, would you remember me? What tender, what tender words, would you remember me? And then the Lord said, verily, I say unto you today, you'll be with me in paradise. Does that not take the sting, you know? Grave, where's your victory? Death, where's your sting? Lord, remember me.

Oh, Romans 2.4, it's the goodness of God that leadeth thee to repentance. Psalm 34.8, oh, taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man that trusteth in him. And then last verse for this evening, verse 26. It's good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. It's good. It's good that a man should both hope, expect, The Lord's my hope, the Lord's my expectation. The Lord is my rock, my salvation.

It's only when he's convinced that his hope and his confidence and his assurance is in the Lord Jesus Christ that he can quietly rest in the Lord. When a believer recalls to his mind what the Lord has done for him, then he's got some assurance. He's got some peace. He's got some confidence. He's got the Lord. He's my helper.

Everything that we could possibly say that would give us any kind of hope and joy and peace, What's your hope? The Lord's my hope. What's your confidence? The Lord's my confidence. And for that, I'm very thankful. I thank God we had a few minutes just to be together tonight, just recollect, just recall. When I recall these things to my mind, that the Lord would allow us this blessed moment to be able to Go over and rehearse again. Just tell me one more time. Tell me one more time about the hope that you have. This is it.

I pray God bless our hearts for Christ's sake. Amen. Thank you, Greg. Let's close with hymn number 30, In Your Spiral.