Psalm 34. I hope you remember recent messages we've been considering together. One was how the Lord loves His own. Remember that? John 13. Then John 14, the Lord's comfort for His little ones. These are messages about our Lord and His people, His children they call them, little children. messages that are meant to glorify our Lord and to comfort His people. I hope that has been so.

This whole book, the Bible, is about our Lord and His people. It's about, I've got to subtitle, Him and Them. The Lord and His people are Him and them. Someone once called this Bible a hymn book, because it truly is all about Him and our Lord. You'll notice when you're reading, the name of the Lord is in nearly every verse. The Lord, the Lord, the Lord. And them, His people. The whole book is the Lord's great work for His people.

It began, the Bible began with God, didn't it? Like everything did in the beginning, God. Before there was a universe, before there were human beings, before God made anything, it was just the Lord. Triangle, okay? The reason he made the universe and the planets and all the plants and animals and all that, is God said, let us make this earth, and they did. And then they said the last thing, let us make man. And God made man and put him here. And so the whole story is about our great God, and He made all of this for a people.

All right. He made it for people. God purposed to have a world with people in it. But long before that, he purposed to have a kingdom, an unseen kingdom, an eternal kingdom with people in it for his glory and for their eternal happiness and salvation. Are you with me? Alright? So God made this world for His glory. Heaven declares glory. The firmament showeth His handiwork. Day unto day others speak. God for His glory. And He made man and put man in it. But man fell. Didn't he? Oh my! He rebelled against that great, good Creator. He rebelled.

But God, rich in mercy, These are attributes of His we would not have known had not man fallen. Rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us. His mercy, His grace, His loving kindness, His long-suffering, His pardon of sin. Christ is called the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world, John, before man was made, before there was a sinner. So man had to fall. to reveal God's greatest glory. So this whole book is about Him. Everything about Him. And them. You can't talk about Him without talking about them. Because that's why He made everything. It wouldn't be a book, we wouldn't be here. Alright? If this wasn't the reason. You can't talk about them without talking about Him. It's like a husband and a wife in it. They're one. They're one. So this is all about our Lord and His people.

Read verses 1 through 6 with me.

I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord. The humble shall hear and be glad. Oh magnify the Lord with me, let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord and he heard me and delivered me from all my fears. They, the humble, looked unto him and were enlightened. Their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.

Mindy said on the way here after reading this, she said every verse could be a sermon by itself, couldn't it? It certainly could. And for that reason, it's going to be a two-part message. I began studying and I didn't get very far. I didn't get past verse 6. I hope you'll be glad about that. Wednesday night we'll maybe look at the rest of it. Psalm 34, look at the top before you read verse 1. Look at the title. You have it right under Psalm 34, a psalm of David. You see that? David's the one that wrote it. When did he write it? When he changed his behavior before the king of Gath, Mimelech, Achish. It drove him away and he left. Go to 1 Samuel 21. This is where this story is. 1 Samuel 21. And it helps to read the story behind the psalm, if you can, if you know about the time it was written.

But David wrote this at a time when he was greatly afraid, greatly ashamed of himself. David was one of the most, if not the most, courageous and bold and fearless men in all of Scripture, wasn't he? David, as you know, faced Goliath when he was somewhere between 16 and 18 years old. And the bravest, boldest, strongest, tallest men like Saul were scared to death of Goliath and the enemy. And David came out, this young stripling Saul called him, You know the story. He's a type of Christ, but yet David was just a man. And David, in the strength of the Lord, in the zeal of God's house, he faced, he went and he said, is there not a cause? He said, somebody needs to silence this man. And he went out there against him, faced him, single-handedly. The Lord gave him great strength. For the glory of God, it is for the glory of God. There was no pride in David when he said that. His brother accused him of being proud when he said that. Oh no, no he wasn't. He went out against Goliath and slew that giant.

But look at chapter 21. Verse 10, it says, David arose and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath. That's the king where Goliath lived. The enemy. He was afraid of Saul. Saul was out to get him. And he arose and went out of fear of the man named Saul, and went to an enemy far from God's people. and dwelt there for a while. What a shame. Isn't that a shame? It's a bad, bad story. David later wrote this. Now, this is why the Lord allowed him to do that, and I hope, and write this psalm. The Lord let him do that. Showed him what he is in his own strength. So that he'd write this psalm for you and me. Like Psalm 51. David later said this, surely every man at his best state is altogether vain. David was the best man on earth, nobody stronger, but he's just a man. And without the Lord, he can do nothing. Without the Lord, he will do about anything. David went on to say, surely every man walks in a vain show. So if you have any vanity or pride, the Lord is going to bring you down.

So David wrote that and he went to Gath, look at 1 Samuel 21, he went to this king of Gath. And I thought to myself, how could a man of God, a child of God, take refuge in such a wicked king, evil, heathen king that doesn't know God? How? Happens all the time. All the time. Can any of you older people recall a godly man in our government, President of the United States, a godly President of the United States? I can't recall any in my lifetime. Can you? And yet people look to, and even now some are taken up with, and ardent supporters of, men. And they're not good men. Are you with me? David did this. David did this. Sad isn't it? Shame. Isn't that shame? And it's sin, it's unbelief, it's fear. What a shame. What a shame we bring upon our Lord. We're broke. Verse 11 in 1 Samuel 21 says, the servants of Achish said, is it not this David, the king of the land? Is this him that they said he slew his ten thousands? And David, verse 12, laid up these words in his heart, and not God's word, but their words. And he was sore afraid. That means he was scared to death. How can he be? Just five or six years ago, the Lord sent a plague, and people were scared to death. Believers were scared to death. That's a shame, isn't it? To act like you don't believe the Lord. Just a rumor. A rumor said, well, send the strongest man or woman running, scared. You know it so much. What about you? Has anything ever made you sore, afraid? There's not a person in here that can't say that. What's wrong with us? It's unbelief. Sore, afraid. Very afraid. Very afraid. What a shame. We bring such shame and reproach on our Lord, who's never given us any cause to disbelieve Him. He's never given us any reason to not trust Him and believe Him and be without fear. Right? Never given us any reason.

Look at chapter 22. They ran Him off. In chapter 22, it says, David departed thence, escaped to a cave, Adullam. He went down running from Saul and ran to a cave, the cleft of a rock. Well, that's a good place to run to. You know this story. Are you glad this happened to David? I am. Although it brought great reproach on our Lord. Oh, did it ever bring great glory to our Lord in the end. He wrote this psalm, Psalm 34. That's why he wrote this psalm. He's running scared. He's ashamed of himself. Horribly ashamed of himself. He brought great reproach upon his Lord. His sin and unbelief and his fear and all that. He ran down to this cleft of the rock and there he's hiding. And he starts writing this psalm. He's crying. He cried unto the Lord. I'm quite sure he thinks, how could I do such a thing? How could I act like that? You reckon? You call yourself talking, commune with thine heart on thy bed. He said, what's wrong with you? Why would you act like that? Why don't you trust the Lord? How could you do what you did? and be with who you're with. Anybody? So he runs to this cave. Have you ever wanted to run away from life? Anybody? Everybody. Run and hide? Anybody? Run away from everybody and hide? I'll tell you where you need to run and hide.

Rock of ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee. Let the water and the blood from thy wounded side which flow, be for sin a double cure, save from wrath and make me pure.

The cleft of the rock is a good place to run and hide in. Yes, it is. So David is in this cave. Now you can go back to the text. In Psalm 34. That's why he wrote this. And he's in this cave. And he's ashamed of himself. So he starts crying. He's crying. He's calling on the Lord. Where are you going to turn? The true child of God, he probably wasn't calling on the Lord when he ran to Gath. He probably wasn't calling on the Lord when he was afraid of Saul. That's why he's afraid. But then when they ran him out of there, and he's running for his life, and he's scared, and he goes down into that cave along with the Lord, he starts calling on the Lord. And the Lord heard him and delivered him out of all his troubles. The first thing He showed him was what he was. You see what you're made of? You see what you're capable of doing? Do you see that there's nothing in you to boast of or brag of? David, sinner, you see why God wrote this? Everything in this book is meant to humble man. And everything in our lives, the lives of believers, is meant to bring us down. If we don't humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord, He will. He will. Yes, He will. Yes, He will. So he says in verse 1, I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth. Paul said, don't let someone else praise you. You're not worthy of it. Isn't it? If you're going to praise anybody. David said, don't praise me. I've got nothing in me to be praised. There's nothing praiseworthy in me. If I'm going to praise anybody, it's going to be the Lord for His mercy and His grace to me.

Verse 2, you'll make her boast in the Lord. I've got no room for boasting. I've got only reason for shame. See how I wrote this? Oh my! I don't want any praise. If I've done anything, it's God that worked in me to do it. If I believe, it's because God gave me the faith. If I do any good, it's the Lord that worked in me. I'm not worthy. I'm not worthy. I've got nothing to boast of, everything to be ashamed of.

Paul, the apostle, I'm sure he never got over seeing Stephen's face while they were stoning him. He never got over that. Another Stephen. He's watching that dear man. And that man, Stephen, was praying for him and them while they were beating his brains out. And Paul would say, hit him harder. He held their coats. That's it. Kill him. He never got over that. That sin was ever before him. And Paul wrote, he says, I was before a blasphemer, injurious persecutor. He never got over that. And in all the people, how many people did he go out and bring to jail? Men and women he brought to jail. He met them full of malice and hatred of God's people and brought them to jail and some of them were killed for believing the truth. And Paul never got over that. He never got over that. That's why he's a humble man.

And David, he said, my sin is ever before me. It made him humble. It's a good thing. I thought about this. If we don't humble ourselves, the Lord will. And the way we humble ourselves is prayer. When we call on the Lord, He's going to remind us of what we are. He's going to remind us of all He's done for us. Where He found us, the pit from which we were dug, what we were when He found us, and what we still are. Prayer. Prayer. Prayer. Humble prayer. Call it on the Lord.

Reading God's Word. You read God's Word, you'll find yourself there. And it ain't good. It's a mirror. You look at it, keep looking at it. If you quit looking in the mirror, you might think you're pretty good. You know that? Quit looking in the mirror. Don't buy one of those close-up mirrors. Don't buy one. When you look at it, you are going to find not a flaw in it. And that's what this book is about. You quit reading, you quit praying, calling on the Lord, you'll get lifted up with pride, you'll get lifted up for your brethren. When you lift up yourself, you put other people down. And the only way you can be lifted up is to put yourself down.

The Lord made salvation through time. And when you put yourself down, you're lifting your brethren up. Isn't that what our Lord did? Our Lord, that woman, I'm going to close this with that woman caught in adultery. He stooped down where she was. He humbled himself. Him obedient. I couldn't wait to quote that. He humbled himself. He who's high. I'm telling you the truth. I'm telling you from experience. I'm telling you from God's Word. You know, if we don't humble ourselves, God will humiliate us. There's a difference between being humbled and humiliated. David was humiliated. God humiliated him. This is why Paul said, God forbid that I should glory, saving the cross of my Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world. God forbid that any human being should boast of anything, because what do we have we have not received. And what have we not done that He kept us from it? And what have we done that He caused us to do it? We're nothing. We're a bunch of nobodies from nowhere. We're just a bunch of sinners. And if God saves us, it's going to be 100% by grace.

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord that He may exalt you. in due time. The only ones he's going to have in heaven with him are humble people. Broken contract sinners saved by grace. No boasting. All boasting excluded. Pride abased. I'm only a sinner. Saved by grace. Unto him. Unto him. Unto him. Unto him. For all eternity, Ron, we're going to be saved. Not unto us. Unto him. And what is He going to have to do to us to bring us to that point? Bring us down. Show us.

Okay, Simon. Simon Peter. Okay. And when you're converted, when you see what you really are, you humble yourself. Amen. So He said in verse 2, the humble will hear this. Have you, does this make you glad, anything you've heard thus far, make you glad? Aren't you glad? That happened to David, although he's my dear brother, and I don't want to see him humiliated or humbled. I don't rejoice in iniquity. I don't rejoice in any brother or sister being brought down. But if it's the means of the Lord bringing us to cry, it's good. It's good, isn't it? It's good for me that I've been afflicted, David said. That I might learn nothing. It's good. It's good.

Nebuchadnezzar, wasn't he glad? Was he glad that the Lord brought him down? He said, I've learned this. Nebuchadnezzar got lifted. Look what I've done, look what I've done, look what I've done. The Lord said, okay. And I believe he belonged to the Lord. It's amazing, isn't it? That's how merciful the Lord is. But Nebuchadnezzar, look what I've done. The Lord said, okay, you watch what I'm going to do to you. Made me like an animal. Wild man. That's what David did there in that song. David acted like a madman. Scratched on the door and was foaming at the mouth. David. Have you ever done anything where you thought, have I lost my mind? Have you? Be honest now. Bernard used to say, honest people don't go to hell. that is honest about themselves before God. That's repentance. That's repentance.

David said, there's not a thought in my mind, you don't know it all together. Not a word in my mouth, not a thing. You know, my down city, my upright. You don't, you see me. Thou, Lord, haggard. Thou, Lord, seest me. I'm not hiding anything from you. Can't. Wash me. Cleanse me.

So, Paul said, God forbid, boasting excluded. No, so then David says in verse 3, look at this. Oh, magnify the Lord with me. Let's exalt His name together. David says, any sinner like me, anybody, anywhere, just half a sinner I am, come on now, I want to tell you my story. The Lord heard me. Me! The chief of sinners. Paul said, I'm telling you, this is a faithful saying, brothers. It's all of Paul. He says, I was before an injurious, a blasphemer, persecuted. I'm the chief of sinners. How could God have mercy on a person like me? But I'm here to tell you, this is a faithful saying. It's worthy of all acceptation.

Because all are sinners. You just don't know what you're capable of. But Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. That's why He made the world. You see how this all began? He didn't need us. He didn't need to create man. Why did He? Because He's good. Because He purposed in love and mercy and grace to have a people in His Son's image with Him forever in eternal kingdom, world without end. But they first all got to fall terribly. Sin. Man, this is the gospel. This is the gospel. This is in every line. This is why God made everything. To show forth His glory. What's His glory? Saving sinners. That the creation doesn't even come close to that. He said the former things, His creation, are not even going to come to mind. In light of the glory and the praise of His grace, He's going to show us throughout eternity, John David, the exceeding riches of His grace and His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus our Lord. Sending His Son to this despicable place to save despicable people. Ain't one good person on the top side of God's earth. That's what God says. Why would He do that? Because He's God. Because He's good. This is His glory. This is His story. This is why God wrote this book, and it's why He made mankind to show forth His glory in saving sinners.

I'm preaching the gospel right now, and I hope it's my last message, so I can die having done my job. So David says, oh, magnify the Lord with me. Any sinners out there? I'm talking about rotten, ill-deserving, no good, scared, running scared, full of lust and pride of life, every despicable thought that can run through your head, you full of it? Anybody? David says, come, let's magnify the Lord. What do you say? Come, let's meet together. And let's praise the Lord. We've got more reason to praise the Lord than anybody. Like Mary Magdalene. Like the thief on the cross. Nobody had to lead him in singing Amazing Grace. He didn't need a song leader, John. Singing at the top of his lungs. From the bottom of his heart. David says, come with me to the cleft of the rock and worship our Lord, whose side was riven, from whose riven sides flowed blood and righteousness.

Someone says, no, preacher, you can't be talking about me. I've gone too far. I'm too sinful. No way. Not me. You just don't know what I've done. The Lord does. So look at what David said in verse 4. I sought the Lord. He heard me. Did you read that sister? He said, come on. I sought the Lord. And He heard me. At my worst. I was at my worst. I was a mad man. A crazy man. It looked like and acted like I didn't know the Lord and never heard a word. This will give a sinner a great... It won't give a self-righteous person any help, any hope. It won't give a self-righteous person any comfort. No, no, no, no. But he'll give a sinner a hug. What kind of sinner? I don't care what you've done. I'll give you a hug.

When Paul wrote that 1 Timothy 1, listen to it. Listen, I'll quote it for you. I was going to have you turn and read it. But he began by saying, Now the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless, the disobedient, ungodly, sinners, unholy, profane, murderers of fathers, murderers of mothers, manslayers, whoremongers, those that defile themselves with mankind, that's homosexuals, men stealers, liars, perjured persons, any other thing that's contrary to sound doctrine. And it's all according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God that He committed to my trust. Because that was me, He said. I was worse. I was a persecutor and blasphemer and injurious. And I obtained mercy. The Lord heard me. He said, so this is a faithful saint. Do you hear me? Did you hear that, sinner? I quoted you. Our Lord said, all manner of sin shall be forgiven. All manner of sin. It doesn't matter. This is faithful. You ought to hear this with great joy. Why? Because this is you. This is me. Not was you. Still in your heart, your old man, that wretched man is still within you. He's capable of doing anything. Oh, the Lord has to do things in us. Just for a second. Yeah, He does. Simon would tell you that. Babel would tell you that. Oh, that's a faithful saint.

Christ came to save sinners. Even the chief. That's the thief on the cross. No, I've gone too far. Look at me. You can't go too far. You can't get too low. I'll tell you, if there's a sinner in this congregation right now, this will be the best message you've ever heard. Have you heard it before?

Look at verse 4. You see why I couldn't get very far? He heard me. delivered me from all my fears. You know, David said, I'm going to bless the Lord at all times. Did he? Did he never murmur or complain after that? Oh, yes, he did. He meant well. He meant it in his heart of hearts, Kelly. Yeah, he did. That's what I'm going to do from now on. I'm going to praise the Lord. I'm going to worship Him. I'm not going to boast about anything. That's a good way to think, but you will. You'll break that vow. You see why salvation's in the middle? It meant well. People said to Moses, we'll do it. Here's what you're to do. And they said, we'll do it. And God said to Moses, they said well that they said that, but they won't. But God will. Do you see why salvation is in the Lord? Do you see why we meet together and give Him all the praise of the Lord every time? Do you see why? It's all about Him.

What about them? Well, when you talk about them, you've got to talk about Him. Because they're not worth talking about. And the only reason we bring them up is because of Him. The only reason them are not the world is because of Him. They're in Him, not of the world. Because that's what He said. That's what He did.

Look at verse 5. They, these humble, broken-hearted sinners, in Revelation 17, I believe it is, it says, they that are with Him, I want to misquote the place. I hate doing that. I do it all the time. I hate it. Verse 14 of Revelation 17 says, They that are with him are called, chosen, and faithful. They looked unto him, verse 5, and were enlightened. These humbled, humiliated, broken-hearted, running, scared sinners. And they were enlightened. And they were not ashamed. They looked to Him. And something happened. They just started looking. Now, don't miss this. If you miss the rest of it, don't miss this. Our Lord said, look unto Me and be ye saved. All the ends of the earth. I'm God. He has none else. No one else can help you. No one. Not even the preacher.

They looked unto Him. They, these brokenhearted sinners. Who are they? Adam. He was the worst sinner. Wasn't He? He had more than anybody ever had, and no reason whatsoever to rebel against God, but he did. If you were God, what would you have done, Adam? Well, if you were God, you'd have had mercy on him. Wouldn't you? Yeah, you would. Adam's arguably the greatest sinner ever lived, but God, rich in mercy. Adam, where art thou? The woman. The woman. Why would she listen to that deceiver and not listen to her Lord who cannot lie? Why would she do that? Have you ever done that? Woman. What have you done? But God. Rich in mercy. I know what you've done. I knew what you would do. And here's what I've done. And Johnny got a little lamb in their horror and slit its throat. And all that precious red blood flowed out of that innocent lamb. They didn't know what blood was, never seen it before. That's the life of the fledge. This innocent creature is going to die because of your guilt. This is what you deserve. But I'm merciful. I'm gracious. And this is me. I'm the lamb slain before the foundation of the world. And by my precious blood, your sins are going to be pardoned, going to be covered under my blood."

And he slit the skin off that animal, and they looked at this grotesque-looking thing they'd never seen before. And the Lord put that skin of that lamb around those shivering, scared, guilty sinners, and they felt some comfort, some warmth.

He said, now the woman's sea is coming. That's me. I'm going to bruise the one's head who deceived you, woman. Whom you listen to, Adam, and I'm going to bruise his head, and he's going to bruise my heel. But this is what I purposed before to be done, and I'm going to go to a cross, and I'm going to pay for your sins like that lamb. I'm going to be the innocent victim for a guilty sinner. Why would you do that? Because I'm God. Because I love you. Well, I made you, Adam. For I made you to show forth My glory and for your comfort.

So, they looked to Him and were enlightened. This word, enlightened, means a couple of things. It means cheer up. Cheer up. You ever been down and depressed and just, you know, just a dark cloud hanging over you and, oh man, I'll never be happy again. Anybody? Because of your guilt or your sin and I know sorrow all of that brain, but I'm talking about guilt and down and depressed and dejected. That's a broken heart. That's what it means to have a contrite heart. Contrite means crushed. It means broken.

Everybody has their hearts broken over sadness and this and that and the other. I'm talking about a sinner, a broken-hearted sinner. What's wrong with me? Why don't I believe God? Why have I done this? Why do I act like this? Is there no good in me? I can't do anything good. What's the Lord? Surely He's going to be done with me. Surely He's going to cast me out. Surely. Surely. Surely. Do you remember that word? Surely. Psalm 23, surely, I'm here to tell you, surely goodness and mercy will follow you. That's a contrite heart. That's a broken and contrite heart.

We need to keep that all the time. It's a shame we have to do something awful to break our proud hearts, isn't it? It's a shame that certain bad things have to run through our heads for us to realize what we are. And it wouldn't if we were calling on the Lord. That's the way he humbles us, looking at his Word, because he keeps showing us, that's me. If we don't, he would let us run off like a lamb, like a sheep prone to wander and fall in a ditch and get filthy and think you're never getting out of it. See? That's what you will do.

And now here's what I will do. He'll come and get you. Don't do that again. Don't say no more! Will they? What will he do? He's good, isn't he?

They were lightened, cheered up. Didn't the Lord say that often? Be of good cheer. Be of good cheer. They were all scared to death in that storm. He said, it is I. I did this. Be of good cheer. Didn't I? Huh? He said, in the world you're going to have tribulation. Be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. Paul in that ship full of all those people and they all thought they were going down. They were losing everything. Throwing everything over to the side. Fear for their lives. Everybody. Paul, but Paul. They're losing everything and you are too. You're losing your possessions. You're losing your health. You're losing your memory. You're losing your eyesight, your ears, your children, your family. You're losing it all. You're losing everything. That's by design. So that you'd be left with nothing but hell. And they were all losing everything and throwing it over and thought, we're all going to die. We're all going to perish. And Paul said, be of good cheer. There's not going to be any loss of life but the ship. You remember that? Anybody in this vessel, in this earth, is safe. The ship's going to be broken, but not one bone of his is.

The word lighten means flow together. Do you see the margin? Did you read that? Flow together. Listen to this. And you turn to Jeremiah 31 real quickly. Jeremiah 31. You're going to be glad you did. I promise you, if you turn, you'll be glad you did. Jeremiah 31. While you're turning there, let me read Isaiah 60 to you. This flowed together. They looked to Him. They looked to Him. They were enlightened. They flowed to Him. Look to Him. You'll flow to Him. You'll run to Him. Like Simon Peter. You'll jump out of the boat. You'll dive out of the boat and can't get to him fast enough. And you won't be ashamed. You're full of shame. You ought to be. When you get to him, he'll take away the shame. I'm telling you, this is the best message you'll ever hear from the Lord to give you ears to hear. It is to me.

Now listen to Isaiah 60. He said, Arise, shine. The light has come. The glory of the Lord. Darkness covers the earth. Great, gross darkness. The people. Remember that? Exodus. The Lord shall rise upon thee. His glory will be seen upon thee. Yeah. Gentiles will come. They're going to come. They're going to come. Your sons and your daughters, they're going to come. And they're going to see and they're going to flow together. Though your heart fear, Oh, there are going to be conversions. They are going to come. Sons of strangers are going to come to you.

Listen to Jeremiah 31 with me. Verse 6. Jeremiah 31, verse 6. You have it? There will be a day the watchman upon Mount Ephraim shall cry, and that's me. Get up and let's go to Zion unto the Lord our God. Let's go worship. Come. Let's magnify the Lord. Read on. And thus saith the Lord, sing with gladness for Jacob, shout among the chief of the nation, publish, praise ye, and say, O Lord, save thy people, the remnant of Israel. Behold, I will bring them from the north country, gather them from the coast of the earth, with them the blind, the lame, the woman with child, her that travaileth with child, great company shall return to them. Mixed multitude like Exodus 12. They'll come with weeping and with supplication will I lead them. I'll cause them to walk by the rivers of water in a straight way. They shall not stumble. I am the Father of Israel. Ephraim. That's my boy. Ephraim. Is he a pleasant child? He is to me. Read on. Hear the word of the Lord, O you nations. Declare it. He that scattered Israel will gather and keep him as a shepherd doth his flock. The Lord hath redeemed Jacob, ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than him. Therefore, they shall come and sing in the height of Zion." They'll flow together. Where? To do what? To the goodness of the Lord. To hear this gospel. A bunch of sinners. No good sin. They're just going to flow like sheep. See that line of sheep? Where are they going? To the shepherd. I was going to turn to 2 Chronicles 20. Those that look unto Him, look unto Me. What does it mean to look unto Him? What do you mean, what does it mean? What do you mean, what does it mean? It means don't look anywhere else. It means look. You can't see Him. Look anyway. It means turn your eyes, your heart, your soul, your body, your care, everything toward Him. Plead with Him. The 2 Chronicles 20, Jehoshaphat and his women and the children and their little ones stood before the Lord and said, Our eyes turn upon Thee. We don't know what to do. We're no match for the Savior. Would you please help us? May I say this? The Lord can't resist someone that looks to Him. Beautiful people outwardly, you know, proud and all that, are an abomination to God. We call people that are beautiful on the outside, he or she is irresistible. Not to God. But what is irresistible to our Lord? A broken and a contrite heart. He will not despise those that look to Him. I keep that cat. Some of you don't like cats. I acknowledge they're not worth much, but neither are dogs. They're just not. None of them are worth having. But I keep that cat because it's a reminder of me, Ruth. And she doesn't know if she wants in or out. You know that? She wants in, she's happy with me, and I'm happy to have her. And I took her in, and I love her, I really do. A cat? Yep, I do. That's the love of the Lord towards you. You know, human beings are worse than animals. Yeah, they are. Animals don't rebel against the Creator. No, no, no. They're not sinners like us. It's amazing, Lord, to save any human being. But anyway, I keep that little cat. And she's a cat. And she came from the outside, wild. I tamed her, brought her in, fed her and all that. Made a covenant with her. I was going to keep her forever. Oh, I wish I'd never met her again. But anyway, she comes in and she wants out. And sometimes I leave the door where she can go in and out. She doesn't know what she wants. Anybody? I want to be with the Lord. I want to be found in Christ. Do you? How about the world? Have any pulled to you? Any? Come on! Be honest! This time we don't know if we're going in or out. I'm leaving. The Lord said, no, you're not. And sometimes I put her out and I shut that door and I say, okay, go, leave me alone. You're bothering me. I've got more important things to do. I'm studying like that. And I look out there and she's sitting outside that window and she's looking at me. Looking me right in the eye. She knows where I'm found. She knows I'm right there in that window and she's looking me right in the eye. I won't take her either. She's looking to me. Please let me in. What do I do? What do you reckon? That's what it means to look to the Lord. Lord, I don't know if I'm coming or going. I want to end Christ, but this world still has a strong pull on me. I don't know what I need or what I want, but I'm looking to You to help me. I will no wise cast out. No wise. Let me close with this story, a true story. I've told it before. It's gone too long, but you'll be glad I told it. You know the story of the woman in John 8 that was caught in adultery and came to our Lord and cast her down. She's guilty. She's ashamed. She's so ashamed. She'd been caught. And the Lord stooped down, you know, and when it was all over, everybody was gone but him and her. He lifted her up and lightened. She was lightened. He told her to lift up and look around. Where are your accusers? She was so ashamed. She's ashamed to look around. Ashamed to lift up her head. But she looked up. She couldn't find one accuser. She couldn't find anybody that condemned her. There was right then and there, John, no condemnation to her because of Jesus Christ. He said, neither do I condemn them. No one's in a war.

A preacher friend of mine had a teenage daughter. And she got pregnant. He's a pastor of a church. And it brought reproach upon him, upon the church and others. He loved that girl. Loved her dearly. And she came to him, not hiding it, not proud, but ashamed. Ashamed of herself. And he told me this. He said, she crawled up in my lap. By then she was 17, 18 years old. Crawled up in her daddy's lap. Said, Daddy, Abba, Abba, ashamed. What could I have done? What could I have done to you? Hmm. What did he do? Frankly forgave her. It sits alright. Spoke peace to her. We'll get through this. We will.

Well, that young lady, the Lord saved her. Revealed Himself to her. She married. Got married. Gave a child a home. That child, young girl, she had a little girl. Beautiful girl. Oh my! And that little girl grew up. The Lord saved her. She got married. The Lord saved him. Not too long ago, she had a baby. A baby girl. Isn't she pretty?

Those that look unto Him, you won't go away ashamed. You'll be ashamed of yourself, but He'll lighten your shame. He'll remove your shame. Yeah, He will. He'll cheer your heart. He'll forgive you all your sins. He'll be so glad.

You know how this is all going to end for God's people? Real good. Real good. You just wait. I'm here to tell you. Wait and you'll see. Wait on the Lord when this is all over.

The child born of David and Bathsheba, you know who that was, don't you? I mean, after that. That baby went to be with the Lord. Right? It died in Ephesus. You know who the next one born to David and Bathsheba was? Anybody? Solomon. That's why that happened. Isn't the Lord good? This whole book is about him. What he did with them. Are you one of them?

All right, let's sing a closing.