and the text tonight is found
in the book of Proverbs the book of Proverbs chapter 29 and reading at verse 18 where
there is no vision the people perish but he that keepeth the
law happy is he where there is no vision the people perish but
he that keepeth the law happy is he and in particular the the
first clause in that verse it's a scripture that men are
well somewhat to abuse misunderstanding what is meant by a vision There's
no support here for those who are dreamers of dreams and visionaries
who look for some revelation additional to what we have in
the words of God. There's a sense, I would say,
in which we have parallel statements in the two clauses of the verse.
I've remarked before how that parallelism is a peculiarity
of Hebrew poetry not that the book of Proverbs is poetry but
we certainly have to recognize that the Psalms is of course
a book that's full of Hebrew poetry and there's much parallelism
in the verses that we find there in the Psalms but as that is
a feature of the poetry so on other occasions we might also
recognize it in passages that are really plain prose. And here I would say there is
some parallelism which helps us to understand, to interpret
each part of the verse. Where there is no vision the
people perish but he that keepeth the law happy is he happiness
of course can be contrasted with that perishing state that is
being spoken of and vision can be paralleled by the word law
where there is no law the people perish that certainly is a truth
When we think in natural terms there is a need of course in
ordered society for there to be rules and regulations and
laws otherwise there's nothing but anarchy. And remember for
example in the 119th Psalm we have a remarkable demonstration
there of the parallelism that is the peculiarity of the Hebrew
poetry. A whole number of words, synonyms
are used throughout that psalm and all the words really are
having regard and reference to the Word of God. We have the
words Law, Precepts, Statutes, Commandments, Judgements, Testaments,
Words and bearing that in mind as we come to consider the words
before us tonight where there is no vision the people perish
but he that keepeth the law happy is he that vision then that we
read of here is to be understood in terms of the word of God and
we find some help to understand this verse when we take account
of what is said in that Old Testament chapter that we read back in
1st Samuel chapter 3 where we have mention of the the open
vision in the days when Samuel was called to be the Lord's prophet. Remember the opening words of
that chapter? The child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before
Eli, and the word of the Lord was precious in those days. There was no open vision. The word of the Lord was rare,
if we read it with the margin, because there was no open vision. And then when we come to the
end of the chapter we're told how the Lord appeared again in
Shiloh and the Lord revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by
the word of the Lord. The vision that we read of we
can say is to be understood in terms of the word of the Lord
and the open vision is that word as it is being proclaimed, as
that word is being preached. And I say that really is the
key to understanding what is being said here by Solomon with
regards to the opening words of our text, where there is no
vision, the people perish, where there is no word of God, where
there is no faithful ministry of the word of God. And what
is the word of God? It is the revelation of God and
that revelation of God ultimately is to be seen in the person and
the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Incarnate Word. No
man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son which is
in the bosom of the Father. He hath declared Him. He is spoken
of as the image of the invisible God. Think again of those words
with which the Apostle opens the epistle to the Hebrews, God
who at sundry times And in diverse manner spake in time past unto
the fathers by the prophets, as in these last days spoken
unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things,
by whom also he made the world, who being the brightness of his
glory, the express image of his person, and so forth. It is now
in this day, this Gospel day, these last days, these last days,
that God has fully and finally revealed himself. No more revelation. No more revelation in the sense
of dreamers of dreams or visionaries. And it's interesting to see how
these things are spoken of prophetically. Remember the language that we
find in the prophecy of Joel and how the apostle Peter takes
up the words of Joel there on the day of Pentecost in Joel
chapter 2 Joel chapter 2 at the end of
the chapter We read he shall come to pass afterwards that
I will pour out of my spirit upon all flesh and your sons
and your daughters shall prophesy your old men shall dream dreams,
your young men shall see visions." Here we have the promise of prophecy,
of dreaming of dreams, of seeing of visions. Also upon the servants
and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out of my spirit
and I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood
and fire and pillars of smoke. the sun shall be turned into
darkness and the moon into blood before the great and terrible
day of the Lord come. And it shall come to pass that
whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered
for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance as the Lord
hath said and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call." Now
Peter in his sermon in Acts chapter 2 refers to and quotes that very
passage of Scripture but it's interesting if you turn to Acts
chapter 2 and there you'll find the reference Acts 2.16 following
but Peter doesn't just quote he expounds And instead of saying
it shall come to pass afterward, he speaks of the last days. It
shall come to pass in the last days. And what Peter goes on
to say is that that very scripture that we just read at the end
of Joel 2 is now fulfilled. It's fulfilled in the day of
Christ. It's fulfilled with the coming
of the Holy Spirit God as truly poured out His Spirit upon all
flesh. And here is the proof of it.
daughters prophesying, old men dreaming dreams, young men seeing
visions. And so I contend that here in
the words that we have as our text, where we read, where there
is no vision, the people perish, we're to understand this ultimately
in terms of the Word of God and the ministry of the Word of God.
And as we come tonight to examine this scripture, and to seek to
understand its significance for us, I want to divide what I say
into two simple parts. First of all, to say something
with regards to the perishing of the people that is being spoken
of, and then secondly, and more particularly, to say something
with regards to the open vision of preaching, our texting. Where
there is no vision, the people perish. There is no greater judgment
that can come upon any people than for God to remove His Word. Where there is no Word of God,
the people perish. Now, this nation, of course,
has been so greatly favored with the Word of God. It was once
known as the people of the book, the Bible. But today we have
a whole generation who seem to know nothing at all of the Word
of God. They know nothing of the contents of the Bible. I
dare say there are many who couldn't tell you the name of one book
of the Old Testament. And probably very few could even
tell you the books of the New Testament. And if ever you've
had the opportunity of watching a university challenge on the
television. We sometimes have the opportunity
when visiting family to see that program. It's interesting when
those undergraduates and graduates are asked any question with regards
to Holy Scripture, they are so ignorant, they know nothing.
Simple questions they cannot answer. Why? because so few,
of course, have had the opportunity of being taught anything in the
Sunday school, and there's no more any scripture instruction
in the schools, and so a whole generation has arisen that know
nothing of God's words, they wouldn't know what the Ten Commandments
are, certainly have no idea as to where they might be found
in Holy Scripture. and isn't that a terrible judgment
that God has visited upon this nation where there is no vision where there is no law, no word
of God where there is no open vision and today there is so
little faithful preaching of the word of God where these things
are wanting the people perish and we see that Oh, we see that
so clearly in the language of the prophets. Look at the words
that we find in the book of Amos. The prophecy of Amos there in
chapter 8, verse 11, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord
God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of
bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the
Lord. And they shall wander from sea
to sea, and from the north even to the east. They shall run to
and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it."
Or when God's judgment comes, this is how it begins, He removes
His Word. And when God's Word is taken
away, what standards are there? What objective standards? Men
simply then do what's right in their own eyes. Everything's
relative. And how this prophecy is borne
out in what we read here in the history of Holy Scripture in
that chapter that we read. That was the case in the days
when Samuel was a child. We read those words in the opening
verse. The words of the Lord was precious
in those days. And as I remarked in the margin,
it will indicate that the Hebrew word precious literally means
rare. God's Word was rare in the days
when Samuel was a child. Why? Because there was no open
vision. And interestingly the word that
we have there, the open vision, open means literally to spread
abroad. The word was rare because it
was not being spread abroad. It was not being attended to,
men were not hearing the words of God. And that rareness, always
a terrible judgment. And how we see it in the situation
that pertains, The tabernacle worship then was in many ways
despised. There were wicked men in the
priesthood. We read in the opening chapter
of Alcana the father of Samuel. In fact, we're introduced to
him there at the very beginning of the book. And look at what it says in verse
3 concerning this man. And he went up out of his city,
yearly it says, to worship and to sacrifice unto the Lord of
Hosts in Shiloh. He went up from year to year. He would go up each year to worship
in Shiloh. once a year. But what was it
that God himself had commanded with regards to all the males? They were not just to go up yearly,
there were three great feasts that were to be observed. The
three feasts were Passover, and Weeks, and Tabernacles. And we see The commandment as
it's given in the law of God, there in Deuteronomy 16 and verse
16, quite a clear commandment. Three times in a year shall all
thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he
shall choose in the feast of unleavened bread and in the Feast
of Weeks, and in the Feast of Tabernacles, and they shall not
appear before the Lord empty." But there was a disregarding
of the detail. You know, it doesn't matter if
one goes to all the Feasts, so long as you appear at one of
the Feasts. A disregarding, you see, of the means of grace. And
God doesn't wink at these things. when the Apostle says we're not
to forsake the assembling of ourselves together as the manner
of some is or there were some obviously in the apostolic day
who despised the means, they were not always present, they
didn't always fill their place and you know in many places people
are so casual with regards to their attendance when the chapel
door is open and the services are being held thank God we can
say quite truly that That is not really our practice. We know
that as those who profess the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,
we wish to be found in our place under the means of grace, under
the preaching of the Word of God. But when there is that despising,
God doesn't wink at it. We know that probably the reason
why those annual or those The three fish each year were
somewhat despised was because of the practice of the sons of
Eli. They were such wicked men and
how they greatly abused their office. Going there in that opening section
of the book of Samuel, the first book of Samuel, in the second
chapter, Verse 12 we read, the sons of
Elo were sons of Belial. They knew not the Lord. And the
priest's custom with the people was that when any man offered
sacrifice, the priest's servant came while the flesh was in seething
with a flesh hook of three teeth in his hand, and he struck it
into the pan or kettle or cauldron or pot. All that the flesh hook
brought up, the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh. unto all the Israelites that
came to them. Also, before they burnt the fat,
the priests' servants came and said to the man that sacrificed,
Give flesh to roast for the priest, for he will not have sudden flesh
of thee, but raw. And if any man said unto him,
Let them that fail to burn the fat presently, and then take
as much as they so desireth, then he would answer him, Nay,
but thou shalt give it me now, and if not, I will take it by
force. Wherefore the sin of the young
man was very great before the Lord. For man abhorred the offering
of the Lord. All these wicked, wicked men
who were there, supposedly to serve God in the priesthood,
and they served not God in the least. They were wicked men. And that's
the message, of course, that Samuel must bring to Eli, that
God has a controversy with the house of Eli, and God will judge
the house of Eli, and he will never make an end. Oh, it's an
awful judgment. God does not himself wink at
these things. It was the duty of the priests
to serve God faithfully and in serving God they would then serve
the children of Israel. And it's interesting, it was
not just a matter of sacrifices. The people should be even seeking
the word of the Lord, we're told, at the mouths of the priests.
Again, at the end of the Old Testament, in the book of Malachi
the prophet, we have that word that is spoken concerning God's
covenant with Levi. In Malachi 2 verse 4 we read
of that covenant. Verse 5, My covenant was with
him of life and peace. I gave them to him for the fear
wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my name. The Lord
of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not foul in his
lips. He walked with me in peace and
equity, and he turned many away from iniquity. For the priest's
lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his
mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts." And what
have they done? In Malachi's day, they had departed. They were not faithful. They
were like those sons of Eli. And so this whole chapter begins,
you see, with God's judgments being visited. I will send a
curse upon you, God says. I will curse your blessings,
yea, I have cursed them already. All that word, you see, that
we have in Amos, concerning the famine of the hearing of the
word of God, it was there, it was there, historically in the
days When Samuel was a boy, it was there at the end of the Old
Testament, during the days of the ministry of Malachi. It is
a judgment, I say, when there is no word of God, no open vision,
no established ministry. But what does God do when He
calls that young boy Samuel? Oh God, you see, in the midst
of all his wrath, He is ever mindful of His mercy. He is a merciful God. At the
end of that chapter we read the words, Samuel grew and the Lord
was with him. And he let none of his words
fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan, even
to Beersheba, knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet
of the Lord. And the Lord appeared again in
Shiloh for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by
the word of the Lord. And then he goes on in the next
chapter, the word of Samuel came to all Israel. For where there
is no vision, the people perish. But God is a merciful God. That's
our comfort. We see something of God's judgments
abroad in this wicked nation. I doubt not that for one moment.
and all this confusion over Brexit. It's not Brexit, is it? It's
the sin of the nation and it's God dealing with this nation.
And yet, we're not without hope. We look higher than the politicians. We look to Him who is the Lord
of Lords and the King of Kings, in whose hand is the heart of
the King and He turneth it like the rivers of water, whithersoever
he will turn it. Or we're to look to God and to
cry to God. But here we see what brings that
terrible perishing. Where there is no vision, the
people perish. But let me move on to say something
with regards to this open vision of the preaching. When we think of the history of our nation.
When we think back to the days of the Great Protestant Reformation,
the most glorious movement of the Spirit of God since the day
of Pentecost. As I said just now, it was on
that day that God fulfilled that ancient prophecy from Joel chapter
2. And subsequent to the day of
Pentecost, there was that day that came in the 16th century
to Europe when God in mercy raised up those Protestant reformers.
Now, as you know, there are names that we always associate with
the Reformation. There were those men raised up
to positions of leadership. We think in particular, of course,
of Martin Luther and the Reformation in Germany. We think of John
Calvin and the ministry that he exercised there in Geneva. When we come to the British Isles
we tend to think of Scotland and the ministry of John Knox. But when we come to England Whilst
they were good men, faithful men, we tend not to think in
terms of any particular individual. But what is so striking about
the English Reformation, of course, is the fact that it was really
the rediscovering of the Word of God. That Reformation so much
centered in the book, in the Bible. Henry VIII who of course
always at heart was really a Roman Catholic yet he made that decree
that the Great Bible was to be placed in every parish church
and then also because there was so much ignorance amongst the
clergy there was the book of homilies that were to be read
these unfaithful priests who were scattered all over the nation.
They wouldn't preach the Word of God and so the homilies were
read. It was like reading services
really. But it all centers in the Word
of God. And it was, as you know, that
martyr's bishop, Hugh Latimer, who was a great preacher himself
who said, preaching is the only office that God has ordained
to save us by. Let us maintain this. For where there is no vision,
where there is no Word of God, where there is no open vision,
no preaching, the people perish. The Word of God, the preaching
of the Word of God. And we see it again when we turn
to the historic books of Holy Scripture. We read of it in the
days of Nehemiah. There in the 8th chapter, the
great 8th chapter in the book, where we have the solemn reading
of God's Word, spoken of in the opening verses, all the people
gathered themselves together as one man into the street that
was before the water gate. And they spake unto Ezra the
scribe to bring the book of the Lord of Moses, which the Lord
had commanded to Israel. And Ezra the priest brought the
law before the congregation, both of men and women, and all
that could hear with understanding. That is, all those children who
had come to an age of reason. Upon the first day of the seventh
month, that significance, the seventh month, opened, of course,
with the Feast of Trumpets. Here is now the trumpeting of
the Word of God. And he read therein before the
street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday,
before the men and the women and those who could understand.
And the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book
of the law. And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood which
they had made for the purpose. And then We're told later verse
8, so they read in the book in the Lord of God distinctly and
it says they gave the sense and caused them to understand the
reading. It wasn't just a vision, it wasn't just a word of God,
it's the open vision. There's the expounding, giving
the sense, causing the people to understand. It's not just
a reading, it's exposition, preaching with the reading. Now how important
this is, where there is no vision, the people perish. Why is God's
Word so important? Because Christ is heard in the
Word. Christ is seen also in the Word. And here we see that Christ is
that one who will answer the cry of his people. Firstly, see
how Christ is heard in the words. The Scriptures and the Lord bear
one tremendous name, the written and incarnate Word, in all things
are the same. We just sang those words, of
course, in our second praise, that lovely hymn of Joseph Hart. What truth! Here we have the
Word in Scripture, Christ is the Incarnate Word. One and the
same. Where is the authority vested?
The authority lies in the Word of God. The authority is not
vested in any priest. The authority doesn't lie in
the man who is the minister of the Word. No, it's that Word that he is
handling. He is but an instrument. And
this is why we encourage that spirit of the Bereans who search
the Scriptures. Or don't accept it simply because
the preacher says it. Test everything by the Word of
God to the law, to the testimony. If they speak not according to
this Word, it is because there is no light in them. The authority
is in the Word. The authority is in the Word
incarnate. What does the Lord Jesus say
at the end of His ministry? At the end of Matthew's Gospel,
all power, literally all authority is given unto me in heaven and
in earth. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have
commanded you. And lo, I am with you always,
even unto the end of the world. or the authority belongs to the
Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ is that
one who of course is the the very fulfillment of the office
of the Prophet. You know those words that we
have again back in the Old Testament in Deuteronomy chapter 18, words
spoken to Moses words spoken by Moses as the mouthpiece of
God. Moses says there in verse 18,
the Lord thy God will rise up unto thee a prophet from the
midst of thee of thy brethren like unto me. Unto him ye shall
hearken. And then the words are repeated.
God says through Moses, verse 18, I will raise them up a prophet
from among their brethren like unto thee, and will put my words
in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command
him. And who is that prophet? That
is the Lord Jesus Christ. The law was given by Moses. Grace
and truth came by Jesus Christ. And it is Christ who is there
in the Old Testament, in the ministry of all the faithful
servants, all the faithful prophets of God. We read of them in Peter
searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ,
which was in them, did signify. We'll see it there in 1 Peter
1, verse 11. The reference is to all those
Old Testament prophets searching what or what manner of time the
Spirit of Christ, which was in them. Again, Revelation 19.10, the
testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy. He spoke the words
through the prophets in the Old Testament. In the Word of God we're hearing
then the words of the Lord Jesus Christ as the Great Prophet.
And as in the Old Testament, so also in the New Testament.
What is the apostolic ministry? It really is the continuation
of the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. When the Lord speaks
of the coming of the Comforter, the ministry of the Holy Ghost.
There in the Gospel according to Saint John, in John chapter
14, verse 26, he says this to his apostles, The Comforter,
which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name,
he shall teach you all things. and bring all things to your
remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you." In other words,
when they come to exercise their own ministry, the Spirit so works
in them and upon them, that they recall all those things that
they had learned by the Lord Jesus Christ. They speak His
words, they expound His words. But the authority is not in them,
the authority is in the Spirit of Christ, which is in them. When Paul addresses the church
at Ephesus, he reminds them of his ministry amongst them. He
says, "...ye have not so learned Christ, if so be ye have heard
him, and been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus." Now,
the Lord Jesus was never in Ephesus. His ministry was confined to
Palestine. What is Paul saying? He is saying
that his own ministry was an extension, a continuation of
the ministry of Christ. You have not so learned Christ,
if so be ye have heard him and been taught by him. The apostolic
ministry. like that of the prophetic ministry
in the Old Testament, is really the ministry of Christ. And you
know, even today there is that sense in which we have to recognize
that the Lord Jesus Christ speaks in preaching. Of course, there's
a difference between apostolic ministry and preaching and what
we have today. Nonetheless, we have to recognize
how the Lord does come and He does speak. That's why I read
that passage. in the 10th of Romans. He says, Whosoever shall call
upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. And then the questions.
How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?
And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?
And how shall they hear without the preacher? And how shall they
preach except they be sent? He asks all these questions and
amongst them this question, How shall they believe in him of
whom they have not heard? Now, the commentators tell us
that the word of is really quite redundant here. Literally it
says, How shall they believe in him whom they have not heard? It's not just a question in the
preaching that they're hearing of the Lord Jesus. No, more than
that, they are hearing Christ himself. How shall they believe
in him whom they have not heard? How shall they hear without a
preacher? This is the only office, says
Latimer, that God has ordained to save us by. The Lord comes
to own and to acknowledge the office of preaching. My sheep,
he says, hear my voice. and I know them, and they follow
me. Do you ever hear the voice of
the Lord Jesus Christ? If you're saved, you must have
heard that voice. If tonight you are truly the
sheep of Christ, you've heard the voice of the Lord Jesus.
That is the mark of His sheep. Where do you hear the voice of
the Lord Jesus? In the words. Normally in the
preached word, but the Lord might well, in His sovereignty, speak
to you in the reading of the word. But you know that voice
when you hear it. It's the voice of Christ. And
where there is no vision, where there is no open vision, no word,
no preaching of the Word, the people perish. Oh, what a favour
and what a blessing it is that we have the Word of God. Faith
cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. But when we think of the of the
Word and the preaching of the Word is not just the hearing
of the Word of the Lord Jesus, is there not also that sense
in which there is the sight of Christ, the seeing of faith. The word is vision. Now I know
I'm thought to explain, to expand it in terms of the importance
of the words, but is the word vision Where there is no vision,
and the word that we have here is actually derived from the
Hebrew word to see. Or there is something to be seen,
we must have that sight of faith. There must be that looking. Look
unto me and be your sight, all the ends of the earth, for I
am God. and there is none else. Or it
goes out, does this gospel, to all the ends of the earth. As
we read in that tenth chapter, it's not only for the Jew, it's
for the Gentile also. But when we think of the ends
of the earth, can we not also understand it in a spiritual
sense? There are sometimes those who feel themselves to be at
the ends of the earth in their soul's feelings. They are so
far off there can be no real hope for them but the Lord says look unto me
and be ye saved all the ends of the earth it matters not how
far off you might feel even tonight however great the distance might
be all there is to be that looking and that looking unto Jesus the
author and finisher of faith. Or you want faith and you say,
how can I get faith? I want faith, I want to believe,
I can't believe. Now I've been there. Been there,
wanting it, desiring it, yearning for it, unable to do it. It's looking onto Jesus. And
it means that we have to look only onto Jesus. It means we
have to look away from every other object. There's one object
only. Because there's none other name
under heaven given amongst men whereby we must be saved. Oh,
but what a salvation there is in the Lord Jesus Christ. Again,
look at the text. Where there is no vision, the
people perish. The margin tells us here, the
Hebrew literally means where the people That where there is
no vision the people is made naked. All the people are naked. And
by nature that's what we are. All that's what we are are sinners.
Naked. Unclean. We have the imagery
used in the 16th chapter of the book of Ezekiel that's so, so graphic look at
the language there in Ezekiel chapter 16 verse 3 thus saith the Lord God
unto Jerusalem thy birth and thy nativities of the land of
Canaan thy father was an Aborite thy mother an Hittite as for
thy nativity In the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut,
neither was thou washed in water to supple thee, thou wast not
salted at all, nor swaddled at all. None I pitied thee to do
any of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee, but thou
wast cast out in the open field to the loathing of thy person
in the day that thou wast born. And when I passed by thee and
saw thee polluted in thine own blood." Well, that's where we
are, you see. Naked. Cast out. None taking pity upon us. We're all as an unclean thing.
All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. We fade like a leaf. Our iniquities, like the wind,
they carry us away. That's where we are. That's where
we are. Ah, but in the Lord Jesus Christ
there's provision for such characters, there's cleansing, there's clothing.
Are we not told by Him all that believe are justified from all
things that they could not be justified from by the deeds of
the law? Blessed is he whose transgression
is forgiven, whose sin is covered, Blessed is the man unto whom
the Lord imputes not iniquity, and in whose spirit is no guile,
says David. All this blessing in the Lord
Jesus Christ. And see then how it continues
there in Ezekiel 16. Verse 8, Now when I passed by
thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love.
And I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness, yea,
I swear unto thee, and entered into a covenant with this hath
the Lord God, and thou becamest mine. Then washed I thee with
water, yea, I thoroughly washed away thy blood from thee, and
I anointed thee with oil. I clothed thee also with broided
work, and shoved thee with badger skin, and I girded thee about
with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk, I decked thee
also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and
a chain on thy neck, and so on. Or where the people, you see,
are so naked, when the Lord comes in His words, And when they're
able to look to Him and to look only to Him, what a glorious
salvation. Oh, what does David say? I will go in the strength of
the Lord God, I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of
thine own. Well, friends, what do we know
of these things? We know about these things. We
hear these things being spoken of, preached. You hear it week
after week, I trust. But what do we really know of
these things? Hosea says, my people are destroyed
for lack of knowledge. That's the saving knowledge,
that's what we need. Life eternal, says the Lord Jesus. This is life eternal, to know
Thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ. when they were sent or
there must be that knowledge where there is no vision the
people perish that vision has to do with the Word of God that
Word of God has to do with the Lord Jesus Christ we must not
only be those who know the doctrines we must have an experience of
the truth of the doctrines these things must come into our hearts
not just taking hold of our minds but sinking to the very depths
of our souls all our salvation is here where there is no vision
the people perish but either keepeth the law happy as he or
that we might know something of that blessedness, that happiness
what are we to do? we can call upon the name of
the Lord Jesus Christ He comes, He speaks to us in His Word,
He shows Himself to us in His Word, and what are we to do? How do we come to Him? We call
upon Him. And see how the Lord gives promise that He will, He
will hear the cry, the prayer of His people. There in, again
in John 14, He says, "...whatsoever ye shall
ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified
in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in my
name, I will do it." That's the word of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Ask, He says, and it shall be given you. Seek and ye shall
find. Knock and it shall be opened unto you. Everyone that asketh,
findeth. Everyone that asketh receiveth. He that seeketh findeth. To him
that knocketh it shall be opened. How the Lord speaks in such sure
and certain terms. He doesn't speak of maybes, ifs,
possibilities, probabilities. No, it's all shalls. It's all
wills. All we ought to have a vision
of this Christ. Paul speaks of God and how God
is able to answer our prayers, nothing's impossible with Him.
He says unto him that He's able to do exceeding, abundantly,
above all that ye ask or think. You think about these things,
you see Do we have such a vision of the glory and the greatness
of God? And the wonder of that God who
is able to save. He is a gracious God. Yes, He
is a holy God, a righteous God, a just God who will by no means
clear the guilty. But what a provision He's made
for sinners in the person of His only begotten Son. But do
we have a large vision of the glories that belong unto our
God. We're to ask in faith. James
says, let him ask in faith, nothing wavering, for he that wavereth,
he like a wave of the sea driven of the wind and tossed, let not
that man think he shall receive anything of the Lord. Oh God
grant that we might have faith. Where do we obtain that faith?
I've already said. We have to look for the Lord
Jesus. The author and finisher of our faith. Oh God grant then
that we might have such an understanding of who Christ is and all that
Christ is able to do. Able to save to the uttermost
all that come unto God by Him. Where there is no vision, the
people perish. But he that keepeth the law happily
is heard. Oh, the Lord bless this word
to us. Amen.