Deuteronomy chapter 32, we'll
look at what is important to God and today we'll look at His
people. What is important to God and today we'll look at His
people. His people. And this actually
ties right in with this morning's message. It's ironic how that
happens when you're putting two separate messages together and
they just tie right in with each other. The morning message is
if Jehovah is your God. And we'll look at the various
blessings based upon that. Jehovah being our God, but what
this message is called, what is important to God, and it's
his people, his people. Deuteronomy 32, verses 9 to 11. For the Lord's portion is his
people. Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. He hath found him
in a desert land, and in the waste, howling wilderness. He led him about, he instructed
him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. As the eagle stirreth
up her nest, flutterth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings,
taketh them, beareth them on her wings. So, so far in this
study, we've looked at how God's name is important to him. We've
looked at how God's glory is important to him, and he will
not share it with anyone else, which is the opposite of how
religion is, right? With grace, we want to give God
all the glory. In religion, the man wants to
get all the glory. We've been taught by God that
his glory is so important to him that he will not share it
with anyone else. And we also looked at how his
word is important to him. His word is so important to him
that he's exalted it over his name. And we looked at how his
grace is important to him. And this is why works-based religion
is so vile, because we're either saved by God's grace or we're
not saved at all. And so God's grace is important
to him because we are only saved by God in and through the Lord
Jesus Christ. And that grace is given to us
in Christ, in Christ. That's as I say, that's why workspace
religion is so vile because it spits in the face of God. It
really does. And then we looked at how his
son is important to him. and how we are saved by Christ
in him alone, through faith in Christ. And our faith is set
upon Christ in him alone. There was a time when we were
unsaved, when we were trusting in ourselves to gain merit and
favor with God. Now the believer trusts in Christ
alone, based upon his works, based upon his merit. Absolutely
nothing in us at all So we looked at how his son is important to
him. Today, I'd like us to consider how his people are important
to him. His people are important to him.
And we'll be looking at how God's people are important to him.
We know that the elect of God are God's covenant people, right?
We know that. We know that. God's elect are
God's covenant people. They are called the sheep of
God. The sheep of God. And you know,
That every single one of His people are important to Him. Every single sheep. If you're
a sheep of God, you're important to God. Every one of you. And do you know that we were
chosen in Christ the same time Paul was chosen? The same time
Peter was chosen? You ever think of that? in eternity in Christ. Isn't
it marvelous? It's wonderful. It's wonderful. How important is God's people
to Him? Important enough for God to send
His only begotten Son into the world to die for them upon Calvary's
cross, to redeem them with His own precious blood. God's sheep are the apple of
his eye. Look at Deuteronomy 32.10. And
we know contextually this is talking about Israel, but we
also know that Israel is a picture of the church. It's a picture
of the church. Look at Deuteronomy 32.10. He
found him in the desert land and in the wasteland wilderness.
He led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple
of his eye. Beloved, we were in the desert
of our sin, in the wilderness of sin. And God called us by
His grace. We were by nature children of
wrath just as others. Just as others. And God by His
grace saved us. Saved us. And He granted us faith
and repentance to believe upon Him. To believe upon the Lord
Jesus Christ. And He does this for every single
one of His sheep. This week I had the privilege
On Monday, I had the privilege of going back to my home where
I grew up. My mom still lives in the house
that I was raised in. But this morning, coming across
and coming into the study, it struck me. You got to go back
to the rock you were human. And never forget where you came
from. Never forget the wilderness we were in, the pit we were in.
And I remember having no care for God growing up, no concern
for my soul. But God, by his almighty grace,
saved my soul. And if you're one of his sheep,
he did the same for you. And he does it for every single
one of his sheep, every one. The text we read here in Deuteronomy
32 is speaking of Israel of old, and God found them in bondage,
right? They were groaning under the oppression In Egypt, groaning
under the oppression, they were unable to free themselves. Is this not where Christ found
us? Were we not under the oppression of our sins, groaning under the
oppression of our sins and spiritual bondage to our sins? In Egypt,
which is a picture of the world, is that not where we were? under sin and Satan, and we could
find no escape, no escape at all. And the Lord found us in
that state. He found us. We weren't looking
for Him. He found us in that state. He found us cast out and
enslaved through our sin and turned His eye upon us. We His
sheep. Ezekiel says this, 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." That was us in the wilderness of sin. No eye pitied
us. And when I passed by thee and
saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee, thou
wast in thy blood. Live. Live. Yea, I said unto thee,
when thou wast in thy blood, live. Ezekiel 16, verses five
and six. Lazarus, come forth. That was what we were, dead. And he's made us alive, beloved,
because we're important to him. We're important to God. And as a shepherd takes the lost
sheep and he puts it upon his shoulder, the Lord Jesus Christ
has done this for us, nourishing us and teaching us by the Holy
Spirit of God, the great things of salvation, the great things
of himself. And he's done it with tenderness
with us, hasn't he? It's wonderful, beloved, where
the apple of his eye, his love has been set upon us from eternity,
from eternity. And this is why God's people
love to hear the gospel. This is why we love to hear the
gospel, beloved. Because we look back at the state
we were in and we see where the Lord took us from. Saving us
from our sins when we were dead and trespasses and sins. Regenerating
us, making us alive in Christ. Born again by the Holy Spirit
of God. Tokens of his grace are all through
our lives. Think back before you were even
saved. The Lord took care of you even
then. Oh, and it makes Christ, and
it makes His grace more and more precious to us, more magnificent
in our eyes. Do you see why He becomes our
all in all? Turn, if you would, to Isaiah
51, Isaiah chapter 51. Verses 1 and 2. Oh, God's people are precious
to him. Look at Isaiah 51 verses 1 and
2. Hearken to me, ye that follow
after righteousness. Who are those who follow after
righteousness? Those who follow Christ. Those who follow Christ. He is righteousness, right? He's
all our righteousness. Isaiah 51 verse 1 and 2. Ye that
seek the Lord. Who are those who seek the Lord?
His people, those who are made willing by the Holy Spirit to
flee to Christ. Look into the rock once you are
hewn. Never forget where you came from, beloved. Into the
hole of the pit once you are digged. We were in a pit and
we couldn't get out. But help comes from above. Help
comes from above. Look unto Abraham your father
and Sarah that bear you. For I called him alone and blessed
him and increased him. Hawker has a comment on this
passage here and it's just an absolute gem. He said this, you
and I shall never be able to rightly value the Lord's righteousness
until convinced that we have none of our own. We'll never
know the value of the Lord's righteousness until he show us
we have none of our own, no righteousness of our own. Then he goes on to
say this, then Jesus will be indeed precious as a savior when
we feel and know and are convinced that we are poor lost sinners. Isn't that magnificent? What
a wonderful quote. We'll never value the Lord's
righteousness until we're convinced that we have absolutely none
of our own. And then we flee to him and he becomes precious
because were poor, lost, as some preachers say, and I love this,
bankrupt sinners. Oh, the Lord's so good to us.
The Lord Jesus Christ, turn if you would to John chapter 16.
The Lord Jesus Christ told his disciples that the Holy Ghost
would accomplish this upon their hearts, that they would seek
the Lord, that they would seek the Lord. And he shall convince, said Jesus,
of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. Here, convict
us of our sins. The Holy Spirit does that. Look
at John chapter 16, verses 8 to 10. And when he has come, speaking
of the Holy Spirit, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness,
and of judgment. Of sin, because they believe
not on me. Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and
ye shall see me no more. Of judgment, because the prince
of this world is judged. So he's the one who convicts
us of our sin. He's the one, he's the one who points us to
Christ. He's the one who teaches us of
Christ. He's the one who regenerates
us when we're dead in trespasses and sins. Turn, if you would,
to John chapter 17. John chapter 17. God's people
are important to him, and his eye is ever upon them. He watches
over them, and God cares for us as a gardener cares for his
garden. He weeds out the weeds and watches over us, puts soil
around us, waters us. He cares for us and His eye is
ever upon us, beloved. And this gives the believer great
comfort, great comfort. Do you know that God created
this world for us and to manifest His glory? He created this world
for us to live in, to enjoy, And he just spoke it into existence
by his sovereign power. It manifests. Does it not manifest
his glory? Does it not manifest his sovereignty? And do you know that it was for
us that he came into this world? For his sheep? The only reason
he came into this world was to redeem us, was to purchase us,
was to to weave a coat of righteousness that we are now clothed in? He came into this world for His
sheep, beloved, for every single one of them. For every single
one of them, because they're important to Him. They were given
to Him by the Father in eternity. And He covenanted to redeem them
and purchase them with His own precious blood. So He left the
glories of heaven to accomplish this. This is wonder of wonders
that he did this. Look at John 17. Look at this,
verse 4. We'll read the verse 10. I have
glorified thee on the earth. I have finished the work which
thou gavest me to do. So the Father gave him a work
to do, to redeem his people from their sins, to perfectly uphold
the law and justice of God, to live a perfect life which we
could never live. And now, O Father, glorify thou
me. with thine own self, with the
glory which I had with thee before the world was, he set aside his
glory for us. I have manifested thy name unto
the men which thou hast givest, which thou gavest me out of the
world. Now note that, he's the one who reveals himself. We don't
know God naturally. And he does this for all his
sheep. He manifests himself. He reveals himself to us. Which
thou gavest me out of the world, thine they were, and thou gavest
them me. When did he give them to him?
In eternity, beloved. And they have kept thy word.
Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given
me are of thee. For I have given unto them the
words which thou gavest me. And they have received them,
and have known surely that I come from thee, and they have believed
that thou didst send me. I pray for them, I pray not for
the world. He prays for his people, he doesn't
pray for everyone. But for them which thou hast
given me, for they are thine. If you're the Lord's sheep, you're
his. Isn't that wonderful? You see
why God's people are important to Him? Because they're His sheep.
They're His. They're His by choosing. They're
His by decree. Mine. And all mine are thine,
and thine are mine, which means all that you give me are mine,
and they're yours too. And I am glorified in Him. See,
we don't glorify in ourselves, do we? We glorify in Christ. We glorify Him. Do you know that it's for us
that Christ rules the world? Do you know that all things work
for good for us, according to His purpose? We know that all
things work together for good to them that love God. There's
the key. To them that are who are the
called according to his purpose. I remember a grace preacher one
time tell me a long time ago, he said, all the medical breakthroughs
in the world, whether they're operations or medicine, is for
the elect's sake, and everyone else gets the residual effects. Think of that, beloved. That's
pretty amazing. When we ponder, When we ponder that God's sheep
are important to Him, it leaves us in absolute awe. Sinners. Sinners by birth, nature, and
choice are important to Him. But let us remember, again, it
is for us that Christ sustains this world. All things, it says,
all things work together for good to them that love God, to
them who are called according to his purpose. So that means
that all things that Christ sustains the world and the world exists
for the welfare and for the benefit of his people. That means that
when the sun shines and the rain falls, we know it falls upon
the just and the unjust. And when the crops grow, when
animals eat and get bigger, It's all for God's people and everyone
else just receives the residual effects. Trees grow, we cut them down,
we build houses, make paper out of it. All these things come from our
sovereign God. And all things work together
for good to them that love God, to them who are called according
to his purpose. First John says this, behold
what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we
should be called the sons of God. Therefore, the world knoweth
not us, knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now
are we the sons of God. And it doth not yet appear what
we shall be. We're not what we're going to
be. We're not what we used to be. But we're not what we're
going to be. But we know that when He shall
appear, we shall be like Him. For we shall see Him as He is.
1 John 3, verses 1 and 2. Turn if you would to Psalm 23.
God's people are so important to Him that He loves and cares
for His people. And here, Here we see God's love manifested
to his people. God's people are the family of
God by his choice and by his decree. And as a shepherd cares
and watches over his flock, so he watches over his people and
cares for them and leads them to green pastures. which is the
green pastures of his word, and he provides and cares and protects
for his sheep. Always remember this. I remember
reading a commentator years ago, and this just stuck with me,
it's never went away. He said, remember that the shepherd
has a responsibility to care for the sheep. The Lord's our
shepherd. He has a responsibility to care
for his sheep, and he does. He'll not let one of them go.
He loves us, he cares for us, he feeds us, he provides for
us. He's a loving shepherd. Look at this. The Lord. Now we
all know, there, Jehovah. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. What do we
have want for? All our spiritual blessings,
all our spiritual needs are fulfilled in Christ. He maketh me to lie down in green
pastures, all the green pastures of his word, where we feed like
sheep, and we feast on the clover of his word. And God's people,
they won't settle for anything but clover. They won't go where
the gospel's not being preached. They want to feast on the clover
of God's word, on the preaching of God's free and sovereign grace.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside
the still waters. You notice, it's the Lord doing
it all. Now, we know we actively flesh
out our faith, don't we? But He's the one who brings us
to the Word. He's the one who teaches us.
He's the one who feeds us. He's the one who gives us water
to drink. Look at this. He restoreth my
soul. He's the one who does. We're
born again by the Holy Spirit of God. He leadeth me in the
path of righteousness for his name's sake, for his glory, for
his honor, for his praise. He leads us. He preserves us,
keeps us through this life. Otherwise we'd be gone. Sheep
just wander away, just wander on. He keeps us. He leads us in the path of His
righteousness. And our righteousness is only
from Him. And it's all for His namesake. It's all for His glory.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.
Now, some commentators say that this is when we die. And others
say that we're currently walking through the valley of the shadow
of death. This world, I think both are replicable. Because
this world can be a valley of the shadow of death, can't it
sometimes? My goodness. And he leads us. He says, I will fear no evil.
David says this, for thou art with me. So God is ever with
us, ever present with us in our life and in our death. Thy rod
and thy staff, they comfort me. Remember, the staff has a crook,
and he can just gently Bring the sheep back if it's wandering
the wrong way. My, what a great God we have.
What a shepherd we have. And then look at this. Now prepares
the table before me in the presence of my enemies. We feast amidst
our enemies in peace. Our enemies are all around us
in this world. And we come here and we feast
on the gospel. We feast. Thou anointest my head with oil,
my cup runneth over. One commentator said this last
verse, the two sheepdogs of God, goodness and mercy. Keeping the
sheep in line. Surely goodness and mercy shall
follow me all the days of my life. In one day, right? We'll
dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Forever. We'll be with Him forever. See,
sometimes we read a psalm like that, and it's so familiar to
us, and there's so much more in that. I did a whole series
on verse-by-verse. There's so much more in that
psalm, too. But do you see how wonderful, how comforting it
is when we just look at each verse and see how it's the Lord
continuously providing for us, continuously taking care of us
all the time? He's wonderful. And why does
He do that? Because we're important. We're
His covenant people. We're the ones that the Father
gave to Christ. We're the ones who God the Father chose in Christ
before the foundation of the world. And He chose us, seeing
us in our sin. So no merit on our own, nothing.
All but the free grace and mercy of God in Christ and Him alone.
What a God. What a Savior we have. Ephesians
1.4 says this, and think upon this, when we consider that God's
people are important to him. Let's trace back, let's trace
back to the foundation and the formation of God's church, and
it reaches back to eternity. Ephesians 1, according as he
hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world.
There's the formation. There it is, the foundation,
God's chosen, the formation, God chose us in Christ. all the
way back, it reaches to eternity. And you know, it keeps going
out to eternity. Because we'll be with him one
day. My, it reaches back to eternity.
According as he has chosen us in him before the foundation
of the world, that we should be holy and without blame, I
love that, without blame before him in love, having predestinated
us into the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according
to the good pleasure of his will. There it is. There's the reason.
To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made
us accepted in the beloved. Accepted in Christ. There's where
our acceptance is before God. Only in Christ. Only in Christ
alone. So we see God's church, the elect,
chosen in Christ, who is the bridegroom. We are the bride
of Christ and he was set up from everlasting. Proverbs chapter
eight says this. I was set up from everlasting
being Christ. Proverbs 8, 23. I was set up
from everlasting from the beginning or ever the earth was. Can we even grasp that with our
with our little minds, you know? Christ was set up from everlasting
to be the surety and the savior of his people, and we were chosen
in Christ from everlasting. It's too much for my brain. See, that's why God says, my
thoughts are not your thoughts, and my ways are not your ways. He's so far above us. He's a
great God, a sovereign King. Psalm 2.6 says this, Yet have
I set my King upon my holy hill of Zion. His King, Christ. Christ. He's the Word from eternity
who was with God and He is God, the Lamb slain from the foundation
of the world. At the creation and division
of the earth, The boundaries of men as well as the church
were all fixed by his infinite wisdom, beloved. And he orders
all things according to his divine will. Don't be troubled. Everything is occurring according
to his will. Things we see going on in the
world. He's not abdicated his throne.
It's God working out his purpose. That gives us comfort as believers.
That gives us comfort. Let's look again at our text
in Deuteronomy 32.9. You know, God hath made of one
blood all nations of men, right? All nations. All us men upon
this earth, men and women, we're all of one blood. And we're all
the works of his hand. But here he particularly calls
Israel his portion. And we know Israel is a picture
of the church. Look at this, for the Lord's portion is his
people. Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. So God has made of all men one
blood, all nations, and they are the works of his hands. But
here he particularly calls Israel his portion, his portion. What a picture of the church,
beloved. We are the Israel of God. Turn, if you would, to Galatians
chapter five. Do you know that the Lord's people
are the Israel of God? The Israel of the Lord are as
a garden of the Lord among the world's wilderness. The Israel
of God is as a garden among the world's wilderness. We're fenced
in. We're protected. God's people are the Israel of
God, chosen of God. They're his portion, they're
his sheep. Look at Galatians chapter six. Galatians chapter
six, I'm sorry, I said five. Galatians chapter six, verses
15 and 16. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision
availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. So he's battling
works-based religion here, which are telling the Galatians, the
Judaizers are telling them you have to be circumcised or be
under the law to be saved? And he's saying, no, but a new
creature born again, the Holy Spirit of God. That's the circumcision
of God, the circumcision of the heart. You're born again. And
he deals with that in Galatians itself. But look at this in verse
16. And as many as walk according
to this rule, peace be on them and mercy and upon the Israel
of God. There it is, beloved. God's people
are the Israel of God. Turn, if you would, to Isaiah
43, Isaiah 43. This people of God, the Lord
has said, the Lord has said of his people,
his elect, that he's formed them for himself. Do you know that
you're formed for himself, for God? You're a trophy of his grace,
every believer, every believer. is a trophy of
the grace of God. Sometimes we feel insignificant,
sometimes we feel like, me? Every believer is a trophy of
God's grace. And every believer was formed
by God. Look at this, Isaiah 43, 18 to
21. Remember ye not the former things,
neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new
thing, now it shall spring forth. Shall ye not know it, I will
even make a way in the wilderness and the rivers and the deserts.
Think of us in the wilderness of sin, in the desert of sin.
And now we have water and life. The beasts of the field shall
honor me, the dragons and the owls, because I give water in
the waters in the wilderness and the rivers in the desert
to give drink to my people, my chosen. This people have I formed for
myself. and they shall so forth my praise."
Isn't that magnificent, beloved? It's wonderful. And we say, me? God says, I have formed you for
myself. She might show forth my praise. What a God. Deuteronomy says
this. Deuteronomy 7, verses six to
eight, For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God. The Lord
thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself
above all people that are upon the face of the earth. The Lord
did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because you were
more in number than any people. For ye were the fewest of all
people. We know he's speaking of Israel here, but as I said,
Israel is a picture of the church in the Old Testament. But because
the Lord loved you, why are we saved? Because the Lord loved
you. Because the Lord loved you and because he would keep the
oath which he has sworn unto your fathers, that the Lord bought
you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you. He bought us out
of Egypt. He bought us out of sin. He bought
us out of the world. He redeemed us. He purchased
us with his own precious blood out of the house of the bondman
and from the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Turn, if you would,
to Matthew 11. Matthew 11, we're almost done.
God reveals Christ to a particular people of his choosing, and they're
not the wise, they're not the prudent, they're babes. And what
a thought to make our hearts sore that God has a people that
belong to him. They're his portion, and you'll
not lose one of them. Matthew 11, 25. At that time,
Jesus answered and said, I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven
and earth, because Thou hast hid these things from the wise,
and the prudent has revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father,
for it seemed good in Thy sights. And David cries out this. And
this is God's people cry out, knowing that we are important
to Him, knowing we're His portion. The Lord is my portion. The Lord is the portion of my
inheritance and of my cup. Thou maintainest my lot. So we've
seen from scriptures today that the reason God's people are important
to him is that he chose them, he formed them, and they are
his portion. And he gave them to Christ in
eternity. And Christ has redeemed us and clothed us, redeemed us
by his blood and clothed us in his perfect righteousness. And
then we will be in his presence forever. Praise be to God. Gracious
Heavenly Father, we come before thy throne, thankful, so thankful
and grateful that you sought us out. Oh, that we were loved
by you from eternity. It leaves us in awe of who you
are, of what you've done, because we know that we never would have
sought thee. And so we praise thee and give you thanks and
glory for our Lord Jesus Christ, who redeemed our souls. In Jesus'
name, amen.