We're going to be looking at
three different sections of our Scripture tonight, so you want
to keep your Bibles handy. And we'll begin in the book of
Matthew. Our text in Matthew. This is what we've been studying.
The Gospel according to Matthew. This is our 49th message. And in Matthew 14, beginning
at verse 22, we read these words and straight away, Jesus constrained
his disciples to get into a ship and to go before him unto the
other side while he sent the multitudes away. And when he
had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart
to pray. And when the evening was come,
he was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst
of the sea, tossed with waves, for the wind was contrary. And
in the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went unto them, walking
on the sea. And when the disciples saw him
walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit.
And they cried out for fear. But straight away, Jesus spake
unto them, saying, Be of good cheer, it is I. Be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said,
Lord, if it be thou bid me come unto thee on the water. And he
said, come. And when Peter was come down
out of the ship, he walked on water to go to Jesus. But when
he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid, and beginning to
sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus
stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him,
O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they
were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were
in the ship came and worshipped him, saying of a truth, thou
art the Son of God. Now, verses 34 through 36 of
that chapter really are a prelude to what we'll read in chapter
15, so I'll save that for our next week's study, unless the
Lord lays it upon me to come back and visit this one again,
which He could. You know, as I said last week, this is another
section of Scripture that we could study from now until the
time the Lord takes us out of this world, and we could never
exhaust all that is in these words. But tonight I want to
consider Jehovah-Jireh. What precious words from our
Savior in our handout, first paragraph, page 1, What precious
words from our Savior. But straight away, Jesus spake
unto them, saying, Be of good cheer, it is I. Be not afraid. That's verse 27.
Hear these words as well, folks. Philippians 4.19, But my God
shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ
Jesus. Are those not wonderful, precious
words to hear from our Lord? One of our Savior's names is
Jehovah Jireh, which means Jehovah will see to it. He will provide. He sees us. He knows our needs. He will provide all. Our Lord
addresses His chosen blood-bought people in a similar situation
and speaks to comfort our hearts from Isaiah 54 verse 11 and verse
14. He says, O thou afflicted, tossed
with tempest, That's a pretty good description of what we just
read about the men in the ship, isn't it? They're afflicted,
they're tossed with tempests. You know, folks, that's exactly
the way a sinner is. We're tossed around. Paul talks
about it. I do the things I hate and I
don't do the things I love. Not in those exact words, but
you know the Scripture I'm talking about. The tempest of the flesh. were tossed to and fro with the
tempest of the flesh, and not comforted. Going on there in
those words, that was verse 11 of chapter 54, verse 14 says
this, in righteousness shalt thou be established. Thou shalt
be far from oppression, for thou shalt not fear, and from terror,
for it shall not come near thee. Folks, when we look to Christ,
When we do like it says, like those, the cloud of witnesses
given in Hebrews chapter 11, in Hebrews chapter 12 it says,
looking unto Christ, the author and the finisher of our faith. We look to Him consistently,
and when we look to Him, fear shall, it shall not come near
thee. Terror, it shall not come near
thee. Notice in verse 25, this is a
third paragraph on page one. And in the fourth watch of the
night, Jesus went unto them walking on the sea. The Lord comes to
his people in our darkest hour, in our most self-loathing position. He comes to us in our darkest
hour, the fourth watch, our weakest hour in our sleep. Charles Spurgeon
wrote this, bottom paragraph, page one. Jesus is sure to come. The night wears on and the darkness
thickens. The fourth watch of the night
draws near, but where is he? Faith says he must come. Though
he should stay away till almost break of day, he must come. Unbelief asks, how can he come? Oh, he will answer for himself. He can make his own way, writes
Charles Spurgeon. Jesus went unto them walking
on the sea. He comes in the teeth of the
wind and on the face of the wave, page two. Never fear, he says,
that he will fail. Never feel, writes Charles Spurgeon,
that he will fail to reach the storm-tossed barque. His love will find out the way.
Whether it be to a single disciple, or to the church as a whole,
Jesus will appear in His own chosen hour. And His time is
sure to be the most timely. In the time of our great need,
Jesus, in the time of their great need, Jesus went unto them walking
on the sea. Verse 25, He knew where they
were. He knew the trouble they were
in, yet He waited to come to them because He knew infinitely
better than they what they needed. Oh, we come to the Lord with
our petitions, absolutely. But the Lord already knew them
before we come to Him with them. He knows our needs long before
anything was ever created. We come to Him with our petitions
that we might know what we need. And we always come with this
in mind, not my will, but thine be done. In Isaiah 55 verses
8 through 9, we read these words, for my thoughts are not your
thoughts, saith the Lord, neither are your ways my ways, saith
the Lord. For as the heavens are higher
than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my
thoughts than your thoughts. When the storm arose and they
were alone in the sea, these disciples forgot all that they
had seen and heard before. Remember, they had just seen
the Lord feed 5,000 with a few fish and a few loaves of bread.
All they could think of was the storm they were in. Isn't that
the way sin works up around us? Isn't that the way it works when
we've fallen into doubt? Or we've fallen into unbelief?
Or we've fallen into some besetting sin? It becomes so much that
we just can't see out of it anymore? How could the Lord love and save
this sinner? One who is such a sinner as I,
O wretched man? All they could think of was the
storm that they were in. All they could see was the danger
it brought them to fear. and it brought him to fear. The
ship tossed about with the waves and contrary winds remind us
of our own situation in the world. How much like them we are when
the boisterous sea of sin raises up its ugly head in this body
of death. Our Lord said, O thou of little
faith, where didst thou doubt? In verse 31 of our text. How
can we doubt when the Word of God is so clear? What word you
might ask? Well, let me share one with you
if you would. Romans 8, 31-32. What shall we then say to these
things? If God be for us, I want to pause. That's so important
for us to consider. If God before us, folks, this
is not that God that the world is preaching about who's done
all that he can and is waiting for something else to happen
for his salvation to be confirmed. Our God confirms himself. Nothing stands in the way of
our God. If He be for us, if God be for
us, who can be against us? Soak that up. Grab ahold of that. That's not just talking about
the world being against us. That's talking about us. Us being
against Him. The One who dwells in His people. Christ takes up residence in
a new heart, folks. That new heart that loves Him
because He first loved us. We can't even be against us.
He that spared not his own son. Oh, we can't even wrap our minds
around that. I can't, anyway. Somebody might
be able to, but not this guy. That's so deep. You talk about
diving deep in the water. Some might call me just flapping
around on top of the pond with this, because I use it so much.
But I'm telling you, that's deep. God loved us so much. He loved this people so much
that He gave His only begotten Son. He spared not His Son, but
delivered Him up for us all. How shall He not with Him also
freely give us all things?" You know, we could spend the next
two weeks just talking about Peter taking his eyes off of
Christ and beginning to sink. The best part of that whole story
about that is this. Christ reached down and grabbed
ahold of him. He wouldn't let him go. God will
not let his people go. He says, all that the Father
giveth me shall come to me. And him that cometh to me I will
in no wise, no wise cast out. Oh, what gracious words. He delivered
him up for us all. How shall he not with him also
freely give us all things? God the Father sent his only
begotten Son to be our propitiation, our atonement. Our sacrifice,
how shall he not give us all that is? Is there anything worth
more than his son? Is there anything of the power
to thwart God's purpose? Oh, with all that, with all that
he has said in his word about his great power, you would think
we would lay all doubt aside, wouldn't you? Yet we don't, do
we? Folks, when we fall short in
our belief, when our faith is weak, you can expect, as Abraham
did, the Lord to reveal our all-powerful provider, Jehovah, our Savior,
our Deliverer. And Jesus came, and he spake
unto them, saying, all power is given unto me in heaven and
in earth. That's Matthew 28, 18, page 3. Paul writes, O wretched man that
I am. Notice that he says, O wretched
man that I am. When Paul wrote these words,
it was long. long after the time that the
Lord had called him out of darkness on that road with his papers
to persecute the church. It was long after that. Paul,
even after all that time of walking with the Lord, his words were,
oh, wretched man that I am. I understand that. I comprehend
that. I've been walking with the Lord
now for about 25 years that I know of. And I can tell you, I'm no
better. In fact, if anything, I'm worse
off now than I was then. Not worse off in eternity, for
my God, my Christ, has taken my sin upon himself and gone
to the cross and died for that. But I'm worse off in knowing
how deep my sin is. I, too, can cry out, oh, wretched
man that I am. All of God's children can. For our sin is ever before us. Oh, wretched man that I am. And
then he says this, who? Who shall deliver me from the
body of this death? Why didn't he say, what could
I do? What shall I do? What must I do to be saved? Why? Because God has revealed there's
absolutely nothing we can do in this flesh. Salvation is of
the Lord and of the Lord alone. Anything I do, anything Paul
would have done, would do nothing but pollute God's grace. Who shall deliver me from the
body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Romans 7, 24 through 25. Jehovah,
Yahweh, Yahweh, Jireh, Jehovah, Jireh, Abraham believed God look
over in Genesis chapter 22 with me and let's look at Abraham's
account of believing God It says over in the book of Hebrews that
Abraham believed God. It was accounted to him for righteousness
Well, what was it that he believed God? He believed God's Word about
who his son was and and what he would do with his son. So
as we go to Genesis chapter 2 and read from verse 1 we see the
Lord gives him some strange instructions And it came to pass after these
things that God did tempt Abraham now I want to stop there for
a moment. God does not is not the author of sin He is allowed
men to sin he allowed Adam to sin in that garden and though
and and and Sin is man's sin, not God's. But he does allow
temptations or trials. That's what that word tempt is.
He did trial. He tried Abraham. And he said unto him, back in
Genesis chapter 22, he said unto him, Abraham? And Abraham said,
behold, here I am. And he said, take now thy son,
thine only son. Now, wait a minute. Didn't Abraham
have another son? Didn't he have another son, Ishmael,
long before Isaac? God didn't recognize that one.
That was not the promised son that God had promised Abraham.
There was only one son that God had promised Abraham, and that
was through Sarah. And he wanted them to know that
it was by the power of God that this son would be brought about.
So he waited until long after Sarah was able to have children. And he brought in Isaac. So here
he says to Abraham now, he says, take now thy son, thine only
son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of
Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of
the mountains, which I will tell thee of." And he goes on through
the next few verses and tells Abraham where this is. And we
read a little bit about that. But I want to jump down to verse
7. And Isaac spake. Now, they're
on their way. They're heading towards the mountain. And Isaac spake unto Abraham,
his father. He said, my father, he said,
here am I, my son. And he said, behold. Behold the
fire and the wood. Here's the fire, here's the wood,
but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, verse
8, my son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering.
So they went both of them together. Now Abraham said those words
and knew that he was going to sacrifice his son knowing that
God the Father would raise his son from the dead. He knew that
God's promise was true. He believed God and it was accounted
to him for righteousness. Now go on, if you would, verse
9. And they came to the place which God had told him of. And
Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and
bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched forth his
hand, and took the knife to slay his son. Now remember what we
read back there in one. God did tempt Abraham. He tried his faith. Remember
what we read in our opening? is the man whom the Lord whom
God chasteneth. Blessed are those who are chastened
of God. That's what's being done here
for Abraham. He's being chastened. He's being tried. And Abraham
stretched forth his hand and took the knife to slay his son.
And the angel of the Lord, verse 11, called unto him out of heaven
and said, Abraham, Abraham. And he said, here am I. I can
just imagine that he might have been wiping the sweat off of
his forehead maybe. He might have just been, whoo!
just in the nick of time, and he said, Lay not thine hand upon
the lad, neither do thou anything unto him, for now I know that
thou fearest God, seeing that thou hast not withheld thy son,
thine only son, from me. And Abraham lifted up, verse
13, his eyes, and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught
in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the
ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his
son. And Abraham called the name of
that place Jehovah-Jireh, as it is said to this day, in the
mount of the Lord it shall be seen." Oh, what wonderful statements
our Lord gives us. Back in your handout, if you
would. Page three, right below the top, the second paragraph
there, we see this. What an example for us to follow. That's what Hebrews chapter 11
is all about. A great cloud of witnesses who
ran their race, believing the word of God, trusting the just
and the justifier of his people. But do not miss this, folks.
The one who provides our needs, is sovereign over it all. He brought the storm that rocked
that little ship. Listen to Psalm 139, verse 1
through 6. It's in our handout there. Oh,
Lord, thou hast searched me and known me. Thou knowest my down-sitting
and my up-rising. Thou understandest my thought
afar off. Thou compest my path and my lying
down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not
a word in my tongue, but lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and
before, and laid thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful
for me. It is high. I cannot attain to
it. Try to imagine, if you will,
what might have been going through the minds of those poor men.
They were in a terrible storm. The Lord sent them to get into
a ship. He sent them right into the eye
of a terrible storm. Truly, these disciples are to
be admired for their obedience. But can you imagine the terror
and the confusion they must have felt? I've talked about that
with Jonah. Can you imagine the terror that
Jonah was going through after the Lord prepared a fish to swallow
him? As he was dead in that fish's
belly just as the Lord died in the belly of the earth? What
terror must have been going through these men's minds? They were
all alone in the night. The Master was not with them
at this time. But in reality, He was, wasn't
He? Our Lord provides what we need. Protection. Divine protection. Listen to Matthew 14, 26-27. And when the disciples saw Him
walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, it is the Spirit.
And they cried out for fear, but straight away, Jesus spake
unto them. He spake with the power of God. That's not part of the word there.
I just added that. He said this, he said, be of good cheer, it
is I. Be not afraid. Page four. Here
we see a clear display of our Savior's divine care and protection. Being God, full of compassion
as we looked at in last week as He looked out over the multitude
and had compassion. Here our Lord looked upon His
people. These men and this ship being
dashed about, and he had compassion. He understood their frailty,
and he came to them walking on the sea. He did not come walking
on the sea to teach them how to do it, but to teach them and
us that since he is God over all, we can and should trust
him absolutely in all things. I know I spoke about it Wednesday
night, but two examples of what I just said pop up into my head
just now. First off is the example of my
dear sister Deanne and her husband as they were approaching the
time when Casp would be taken from this world. What an expression! What an expression of trust both
of them put in their God as they came upon the greatest trial
we can ever go through on this earth. The trial of losing a
loved one, a child, or a husband, or a wife. The second one that I was thinking
of is the trials that our brother Gene and his wife are going through
right now. The troubles of a man who is
in his early 80s and his wife as well, who is struggling just to be
able to get around her home and his struggle with trying to take
care of her so they don't get put in a home. You and I can't even understand
that, those of us who've not been there yet. Maybe some of
you have seen that and been close to those kinds of things and
understand it a bit. But to be in those shoes and
still cry out, still say this about every bit of it, this is
where the Lord would have me. This is the Lord's will for us
to deal with. What graciousness God has given
His people, His people to trust in Him, even
in the trials of this world. Our Lord is absolute power. Back in our handout again, continuing
on in that second paragraph. He has absolute power and control
over all that is. Everything. He can and will do
whatever is needed to protect us. We will never find ourselves
in a place where we are beyond His eye or beyond His reach. There is no storm from which
he cannot save us. Though the disciples were in
the midst of a terrible storm, they were in the place of obedience
to their Lord and Master. And the place of obedience to
Christ is the place of safety. Acts 27 verse 25, I'm sorry,
no, Proverbs 3 verse 5 through 6. Trust in the Lord with all
thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all
thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. Or
here's Paul, when Paul is being persecuted and taken to Rome,
just before they crashed on the island, he says, Wherefore, sirs,
be of good cheer, for I believe God. that it shall be even as
it was told me." What a profession. What a confession. I believe
God that it be even as it was told me. Folks, the Lord tells
us we're going to be persecuted. We're going to be persecuted
until the day he takes us out of this world into the bliss
comfort of the presence of his son, the Lord Jesus. The last
part of our text, we read these words, and when they were come
into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship
came and worshipped Him, saying of a truth, Thou art the Son
of God. Verses 32 and 33. It says when they were coming
to the ship, the wind ceased. It always does, folks. It always
does when the Savior makes Himself known. But now thus saith the
Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and He that formed thee, O Israel,
fear not, for I have redeemed thee. I have called thee by thy
name. Has he not called you by your
name? Did he not call you as he did
Lazarus and say, come, and we came? Thou art mine, he says. You belong to me. I've paid for
you with My blood. I've laid down My life that you
would spend eternity with Me. This is the Lord speaking to
you and I. You are Mine. Thou art Mine when
thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee. And through
the rivers they shall not overflow thee. When thou walkest through
the fire, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle
upon thee, for I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel,
thy Savior. I gave Egypt for thy ransom,
Ethiopia and Saba for thee, since thou wast precious. Do you hear
that? Since thou wast precious in my
sight, Thou hast been honorable, and I have loved thee. Therefore
will I give men for thee and people for thy life. Fear not,
for I am with thee. I will bring thy seed from the
east and gather thee from the west." Isaiah 43, 1 through 5,
page 5. Our Lord gives us a wonderful
picture of this very thing. Turn to Daniel, if you would,
chapter 3 in your Bibles. And let's look at some verses
beginning at verse 14. Daniel 3, verse 14. I'll give those of you who didn't
have a chance earlier a moment to turn to that. Daniel is right
after Ezekiel. Daniel 3, verse 14. Nebuchadnezzar. And he said unto
them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not
ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have
set up? Is it true that you don't? Verse
15, Now if ye be ready, that at what time have ye heard the
sound of the cornet, flute, harp, and sacba and psaltery and the
dulcimer and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the
image which I have made well. But if ye worship not, ye shall
be cast that same hour into the midst of the burning, fiery furnace. And who is that God that shall
deliver you out of my hand?" Verse 16, Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar,
we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be
so, our God, whom we serve, is able to deliver us from the burning,
fiery furnace. And he will deliver us out of
thine hand, O king. But if not? Be it known unto
thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the
golden image which thou hast set up.' Then was Nebuchadnezzar
full of fury, and formed and form of his visage was changed
against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Therefore, he spake
and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times
more than it was want to be heated. And he commanded the most mighty
men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men
were bound in their coats and their hose. And did you notice
they were bound in their coats? I want to stop there for a moment.
I've got to share something with you that popped into my mind.
Kathy and I had spent some time with her mom one time up in,
and this goes right along with what we're going to see here
in a moment. We spent some time with her mom up in Oregon. And
she was a very, very heavy smoker. And Kathy and I had quit smoking
for several years. And on the way home from our
trip, we were wearing the coats. It was Christmas time, and we
had worn our coats quite often in the house up there. We found
that on the way home, we couldn't even keep our coats on. Coats
soak up your surroundings. Cloth. soaks up your surroundings. Take that in mind as we go forward,
will you? Their coats, their hosen, and
their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst
of the burning, fiery furnace. Verse 22, therefore, because
the king's commandment was urgent and the furnace exceeding hot,
the flame and the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego, fell down, bound in the midst of the burning
fiery furnace. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king
was astounded, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto
his counselors, do not we cast three men bound in the midst
of the fire? And they answered, and they said
unto the king, true, O king. And he answered, and he said,
lo, I see four. I see four men loose, walking
in the midst of the fire. And they have no hurt, and the
form of the fourth is like the Son of God. Our Lord says, I shall never
leave you, nor forsake you to His people. Verse 26, Then Nebuchadnezzar
came near the mouth of the burning fire, fiery furnace, and he spake,
and he said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of
the Most High God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego came forth of the midst of the fire, and
the princes, and the governors, and the captains, and the king's
counselors be gathered together, saw these men upon whose bodies
the fire had no power. Remember what we just read a
moment ago from Isaiah? The fires will not consume you. The fire had no power, nor was
a hair on their head singed. Neither were their coats changed,
nor the smell of fire had passed on them. There they were, right
in the midst of it. And even their clothing was clean. Folks, God doesn't save impartiality. Salvation of the Lord to the
fullest. He saves His people to the fullest. Not one hair, not one piece of
clothing can be burned if we belong to the Lord. A picture,
back in our handouts, top of page 5, a picture of our salvation,
perfected forever them that are sanctified. Hebrews 10. Folks,
the angel of the Lord encampeth, he encampeth round about them
that fear him and delivereth them. That's Psalms 34. The fact
that the wind ceased when our master came into the ship shows
us his great omnipotence, his great power, his great sovereignty. He rules all that is, sovereign,
seeing this display of his power even over the wind. They worshiped
him, saying of truth, thou art the son of God. You know what
made more sense to me the first time I heard the gospel? God
is sovereign. The man standing in that pulpit
next door preached about a sovereign God who rules over everything.
Every molecule, every particle. And as he preached to me the
Word of the Lord and the Lord gave me ears to hear, I heard
of His sovereignty and I worshipped Him. The saying of truth. Thou art the
Son of God. These disciples who had been
rescued by their Lord's coming to them across the stormy sea
and calming that sea as He stepped into their little ship, were
convinced of His absolute omnipotence as the Eternal God. That very
One who stood before them, that very One whose name is Jesus,
who shall be called Jesus for He shall save His people, stood
before them and they were assured. that He was the omnipotent, eternal
God. Listen to these words from Psalms
139, 7 through 18 at the bottom of page 5. Whither shall I go
from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from
thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou
art there. If I make my bed in hell, behold,
thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall
thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say,
surely the darkness shall come over me, even the night. Remember,
he came in the fourth hour of the night. Even the night shall
be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not
from thee, but the night shineth as the day. The darkness and
the light are both alike to thee, for thou hast possessed my reins. Thou hast covered me in my mother's
womb. I will praise thee, for I am
fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are thy works, and
that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from
thee when I was made in secret and curiously wrought in the
lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance,
yet being imperfect. And in thy book all my members
were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as it yet
there was none of them. How precious also are thy thoughts
unto me, O God. How great is the sum of them.
If I should count them, they are more in the number than the
sand. When I awake, I am still with
thee." Page six. In closing, just as these men
in the ship were safe from the storm, and the three who were
thrown into the fire and came out with so much without so much
as the smell of smoke upon them, you and I and all of God's elect
are cleansed from all our sins by the shedding of the perfect
blood of the Lord Jesus. Hebrews 10 verse 12 through 17,
we read these words, but this man, These words we're about
to read are talking about the very one who stood in that ship
with them. The very one who came to them
in their time of need. the very one who provides himself
for each and every one of his people, all that the Father giveth
him, the very one, this is who this is talking about, this man,
after he had offered one sacrifice. This is in a section of scripture
where it's talking about the High priests of the old, how
they would give their sacrifices every year, how it did no good.
He never took pleasure in the blood of bulls and goats. This
one sacrifice for the sins forever sat down on the right hand of
God. Folks, God accepted that sacrifice. That one sacrifice. That one
sacrifice of perfect blood. God accepted it, and Christ arose
to sit at the right hand of the Father. From henceforth, expecting
to his enemies be made his footstool. Folks, he's going to sit there
calling his people unto himself, and when that last one is called,
he's going to come back. He's going to come back in a
thunder, riding the clouds with all of His angels that have gone
on before us. And He's going to collect every
single one for whom is still on this earth that He died for.
And we're all going to spend eternity in the presence of our
Lord. His enemies, we made His footstool for by one offering.
One offering. He hath perfected forever them
that are sanctified. We're perfected right now. You
want some peace in this world as you continue on this race
that God has put before us through this valley of the shadow of
death? There's our peace. He, Ha, perfected forever them
that are sanctified. whereof the Holy Ghost also is
a witness to us. For after that, He had said before,
this is the covenant, this is the promise, this is the pact
that I will make with them after those days. Sayeth the Lord,
I will put My laws into their hearts and into their minds,
and I will right them, and their sins and iniquities will I remember
no more. Hebrews 10, 12-17. our substitute, our great provider
has provided himself the propitiation, the atonement, the sacrifice
for the sins of those that he has loved with an everlasting
love, a love from before the world was. Nothing shall be able
to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus
our Lord, Romans chapter 8. Just as Nebuchadnezzar and all
that were with him could see a fourth in that fire, so our
Lord is with us in our storms. Even if we can't see Him. But straight away, Jesus spake
unto them saying, be of good cheer, it is I. And I put in
parentheses Jehovah Jireh. Folks, be not afraid. He is with us always, even when
we don't see him. Amen.