Psalm 83. The name of the message is The
Hidden Ones. The Hidden Ones. And the text
is found in verse 3, but we're going to read two portions of
the scripture here of this psalm. Psalm 83, The Hidden Ones. Keep not thou silence, O God. Hold not thy peace and be not
still, O God. For lo, thine enemies make atonement,
and they that hate thee have lifted up the head. They have
taken crafty counsel against thy people and consulted against
thy hidden ones. Thy hidden ones. They have said,
Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, that the
name of Israel may be no more in remembrance. For they have
consulted together with one consent. They are confederate against
thee." And then verses 6 to 11 speaks of all the nations that
are confederate against Israel. So let's continue though from
verse 12 to the end of the psalm. who said, let us take to ourselves
the houses of God in possession. These nations that were confederate
against Israel said, let us take to ourselves the houses of God
in possession. Oh my God. Make them like a wheel,
that wheel is the stubble before the wind. As the fire burneth
the wood and the flame setteth the mountains on fire, so persecute
them with Thy tempest and make them afraid with Thy storm. Fill
their faces with shame that they may seek Thy name, O Lord. Let them be confounded and troubled
forever. Let them be put to shame and
perish that man may know that Thou whose name alone is Jehovah. We looked at that last week.
The self-existent one, art the most high over all the earth. What a picture we have here before
us of the church of God. And it is God who protects His
people and keeps His people amidst all the trials of life. Israel
had all these nations who were confederate against them. They
joined together, plotting to destroy Israel, to wipe them
off the map, to quiet them forever if they
could. And what a picture we have of
the church of God. The world hates, hates the church,
does not understand They're trying to take God out of everything
now, aren't they? And if it were possible, they
would remove God's people. They would destroy the Israel
of God, if it were possible. And here before us, we see the
heathen rage. All these nations, they're raging
against God's people. We see the heathen rage, and
they still do today, against God's people, against his hidden
ones. But let us never forget. Let
us ever remember. And this will bring God's people
great comfort, that he that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh. The
Lord shall have them in derision. I want us to notice three words
that are spoken of in our text here. Spoken of Israel when this
was occurring, but also, we know that Israel is a picture of the
church of God. Look at verse 3, they have taken
crafty counsel against thy people and consulted against thy hidden
ones. This was my reading for Wednesday night, and this verse
just came alive. Against thy hidden ones. The
Hebrew word for hidden ones is defined as this, to hide. Treasure. Treasure, or store up, to be
hidden. Be stored up to hide from discovery. To hide from discovery. God's
people. Turn, if you would, to Colossians
chapter 3. God's people are hidden ones,
beloved, and they are hidden in Jesus Christ our Lord. Colossians
3, verses 1-4. God's people are hidden ones
and they're a hidden Christ. Colossians 3, verses 1-4. If ye then be risen with Christ,
and this is written to believers, Seek those things which are above,
where Christ sits on the right hand of God. Set your affections
on things above and not on things on the earth. When I get myself
in trouble is when I start looking at what's going on in this world.
Now, I'm not oblivious to it. I don't think we should be oblivious
to the things going on. But when I get myself so worked
up about what's going on, my eyes are off Christ. But Scripture
here says, set your affection on things above. Set your affection
on Christ, on Him, not on the things on the earth. For ye are
dead, and your life is hid. Oh, there's the hidden one. Hid
with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life,
shall appear, then shall ye also appear with
Him in glory. We are hid in Christ, beloved.
We see here in Colossians that our life is hid with Christ. What safety for the believer?
What safety? What security for the believer?
They are hid in the self-existent One. No matter what comes, they
are hid in Him. No matter what storms come, they
are hid in Him. Hid in Him. Let the world rage
all around us. Let those who come against us
rage. The believer's life is hid in
Christ. And we know from our studies
that we've been doing in Colossians and from the Sunday School lesson
that we started this morning, that Christ is God. And Scripture
declares that the believer is hid with Christ in God. We are hidden in Him, hidden
God manifested in the flesh, the self-existent one, the one
who became a man, who left the glories of heaven and died upon
the cross to redeem His people from their sins. And what we have is hidden from
natural man. Think of before the Lord saved you. What did we think about Christians?
What did we think about Christ? I didn't want to be around him. I didn't know anything about
Christ, except what I had drummed up in my imagination, but not
what the scripture declares of who he is. But God was pleased
to reveal himself. So what we have And we know that
the Gospel is hid. It's a mystery that's manifested
to the saints. We know that from our study in
Colossians. It's a mystery that's been hid
from ages and generations, but now is made manifest. Now made
manifest to His people. We who believe are hid in God,
hid in Christ. And this is hidden from natural
man, but God was pleased to reveal to we who believe. And we would
never have known, unless He revealed it to us. We would never have
known. The spiritual life of the saints
is hid from the men of the world. Natural man is alienated from
God. And we who believe, we're at
one time the same way. The world knows nothing about
who God really is. Now man has drummed up in their
imagination who they think God is. They think that God's waiting
for them. But the God of the Bible rules
supreme. He does whatever he wills. And
the armies of heaven and all the inhabitants of the earth
are reputed as nothing. That's the God of the Bible.
Not the God of man's, Henry Mahan used to call the God of man's
imagination a peanut God because he can't do nothing. And that's
true. He said, do you remember those
old carts with the peanuts, they used to have the peanuts and
they'd roll around in them when they would move the cart? That's
what he was talking about. They can't do nothing. They just
roll around. Nothing. powerless The God of man's imagination,
but all the God of the Bible is the very one who God's people
are hidden We are the hidden ones The hidden
ones and God has been pleased to reveal reveal himself to his
people The world knows nothing of eternal life in Christ. Knows
nothing of the heavenly man of which we feast on weekly. And I ask, did you before the
Lord save you? No, we didn't, did we? But now,
is it not all you desire? Is it not all you want to hear?
Christ and Him crucified? Tell me about my King. Sir, we
would see Jesus. We would see Jesus. And this
is why we preach the Gospel. We pray that God would manifest
it to His people, to lost sheep in desperate need of Christ.
Turn, if you would, to Romans chapter 16. Romans chapter 16. God must manifest Himself to
us. And the believer is hidden in
Jesus Christ our Lord. All spiritual life is in Christ.
All of it. Romans 16, verses 25 to 27. Romans 16, 25 to 27, now to him
that is of power to establish you according to my gospel and
the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of
the mystery. The gospel must be revealed.
It's a mystery which was kept secret since the world began.
but now is made manifest, and by the Scriptures of the prophets,
according to the commandments of the everlasting God, made
known to all nations for the obedience of faith." The Gospel
is preached and proclaimed to all, isn't it? To God only, wise be glory, through
Jesus Christ forever. Amen. So the believer is hidden
Christ. He's all our spiritual life.
He's the head, the root, and the fountain of it. Outside of
Christ, we have absolutely nothing. And because He is all this, because
He is all this to the believer, then the believer's safe. Safe
in Christ. Safe in Him. And can never be lost as he's
hid in Christ. Hid in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Because He lives, We live. He is the fountain. Christ is
the water of life. Christ is the bread of life.
And his people are hidden in him. And because of him, and
because of what he's done, we have eternal life. Nowhere else,
not in any works that we have done. I brought out in Sunday school
this morning, he's the Alpha and the Omega. So that means
He's the beginning and the end, and He's everything in between,
too. Which means there's nothing to be added. Nothing. Nothing
at all. Because the head lives, the body
shall live also. Let's go back to our verse. Psalm 83, verse 3. They have
taken crafty a counsel against thy people, and consulted against
thy hidden ones. Now God's elect people are not
hidden from Him, as He has chosen them in eternity in Christ. He
has redeemed them all, and He will glorify them one day, and
they will stand in His presence clothed in the righteousness
of Christ. Now, we who believe are clothed
right now in the righteousness of Christ, but one day we will
stand before a holy and righteous God based upon absolutely nothing
that we have done, but all because of what He's done, all because
of what Christ has done. They are not unknown to him.
He knows every one of his sheep. Every single one of them. And
he knows them by name. He knows them by name. And his
people are the hidden ones. The hidden ones. Verse 18 says,
in the same psalm, that man may know that thou, whose name alone
is Jehovah, art the most high over all the earth. Now the world
will rise up against God's people. They always have. But God will
protect them. God will protect them. They are
the objects of hatred and persecution from the world. If you ever get
a chance, read Fox's book of Christian martyrs. Make sure
you got a box of Kleenex with you. It's incredible what some
of the saints went through. But God's people are hidden by
God and protected by God. Man can destroy the body, but
not the soul. Not the soul. They are hidden
by God and protected by God. They are his jewels and his particular
treasure. Whom he, the self-existent one,
shall protect. shall protect. He will hide and
protect his people. Keep me as the apple of the eye. Hide me under the shadow of thy
wings. Turn, if you would, to Psalm
57, what rest and comfort God's people find in Christ Jesus our
Lord. Psalm 57, verses 1 to 3. And this is when David fled from
Saul. He's in a cave. He says, be merciful
unto me, O God. Be merciful unto me, for my soul
trusteth in thee. Yea, in the shadow of thy wings
will I make my refuge until these calamities be overpassed. I will
cry unto God most high, unto God that performeth all things
for me. Look at that verse. Unto God
that performeth all things for me. I ask you, beloved of God,
has he not performed all things for you for your salvation? Of all things, Christ has performed
them all. He shall send from heaven and
save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up,
Selah. God shall send forth his mercy
and his truth. Now God's hidden ones are found
where people of this world would least think. They are like the
woman at the well who had five husbands. They are like Jacob, who was
alive, and David, who had a man sent to the front lines to die. They are like the publicans and
the sinners who the religious world hated. They are like Paul, who was a
persecutor of the church and a blasphemer. He was an object of sovereign
mercy. God's hidden ones are we who
believe. we who believe on Christ, we
who are saved sinners, we who were born dead in trespasses
and sins wherein times past you walked according to the course
of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air,
the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience,
among whom also we all had our conversations in times past in
the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and
of the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath, even as
others." That was us. But God, who is rich in mercy. Rich. You could stack all the
silver and gold in the world. You could take all the wealth
of the richest man in the world. And it does not compare to the
riches of our great King. The riches. But God who is rich
in mercy for His great love wherewith He loved us. When did He love
us? With an everlasting love. Before we loved Him, He loved
us. Even when we were dead in sins,
hath quickened us together with Christ by grace, ye are saved,
and hath raised us up together and made us to sit together in
heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2, 1-6. It's all in
Him. But God's hidden ones are found
where people of this world would least think. And we are hid in
Christ Jesus our Lord. What comfort for the believer.
What security for the believer. The believer is hidden Christ.
Now, in Scripture, many names are given to God's people. They
are called the flock of God. which shows us His intimate care
and their sure supply for all their needs. And do we not find
all our needs both spiritually and physically in Christ? Spiritually,
everything. Does He not provide? And physically,
does He not provide everything we have? Does He not give it
to us? See, the world doesn't acknowledge
that. They think it's all their own doing. But everything we
have comes from our great King. They're called the branches,
and Christ is called the vine, which shows us our vital union
with Christ. And how all our strength and
all our fruitfulness comes from Him. And He goes on to say in
that passage in John 15, that without Him we can do nothing. See, religion tells you do, do,
do, doesn't it? But grace preachers proclaim
the one who's done it all. It's all in Him. It's all in
Christ. God's people are called the elect
because it was He who chose us according to His sovereign will
and purpose and His pleasure, and this magnifies His sovereignty. God's people are also called
the children of God and the household, which shows us His fatherhood. We who believe have one Father,
and one Spirit, and one Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ. For as
many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of
God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to
fear, but ye have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we
cry, I have a Father. The Spirit itself bears witness
with our spirit that we are the children of God. And if children
and heirs of God enjoin heirs with Christ, if so be that we
should suffer with him, that we may also be glorified with
him. Romans 8, verses 14 to 17. God's people are called a royal
priesthood. These are the hidden ones. They're
called a royal priesthood, a holy priesthood. Sinners are called
a royal priesthood, a holy priesthood. We are made holy by Christ. We
are separated by Christ for His glory and for His use. God's people are called soldiers.
to fill us with courage, to fill us with courage, to fight the
good fight of faith and trust and rest in Jesus Christ our
Lord, who is the captain and under whose banner we march forward. Here in our text, God's people
are called The hidden ones. Thy hidden ones. Here are some
things I'd like us to ponder, which this implies. Why are God's
people called hidden ones? Because He has put them out of
the reach of their adversaries and concealed them in a place
of safety. They are protected by God who
is sovereign. They are ever under His watchful
eye. and always under His sovereign
care. Their foes and adversaries may
rise up, but God will protect His hidden ones. He will protect His people. Turn, if you would, to Psalm
27. Psalm 27. Psalm 27, verses 4-6. Psalm 27, verses 4-6. One thing
have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after, that I may
dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold
the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in His temple. For in
the time of trouble, in the time when adversaries, in the time
when people rise up against us, he shall hide me, the hidden
ones, he shall hide me in his pavilion, in the secret of his
tabernacle, shall he hide me, he shall set me up upon a rock,
and now shall mine head be lifted up Above mine enemies, round
about me, therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices
of joy. Why? Because he protects his
people. We give him all the glory, all
the honor, all the praise. Therefore will I offer in his
tabernacle sacrifices of joy. I will sing, yea, I will sing
praises unto the Lord. He protects his people and keeps
them out of the reach of his adversaries, concealed in a place
of safety. Why are God's people called the
hidden ones? Because He gives them quiet and
peace even in the midst of turmoil and sorrow. One of the things that Vicki
and I have talked about since the Lord showed us grace, since
He revealed Himself to us in religion, we never had peace.
Never. We were always having to do something.
Always. Just continuously. and continuously
feeling like a failure until God revealed Himself, until we looked to Him. Oh, He gives us peace in the
midst of turmoil and sorrow. Turn, if you would, to Psalm
23 and put your finger in 1 Peter 1. Psalm 23. And this is a peace that passes
all understanding. This is a peace that keeps the
believers' hearts and minds. No matter what's going on, they
have a rest and a peace, and it's only in Christ. It's nowhere else. It's nowhere
else. Psalm 23, verses 1-3, the Lord,
that is the self-existent one again. That's Jehovah. The Lord,
the self-existent one, is my shepherd. I shall not want. I shall not want for anything
spiritually. Now there's some things that
my flesh might want, right? And the Lord says no. Right? But as far as spiritually and
anything, I have clothes on my back, do you? We have food on
our table. We have people who love us. We
have a wonderful, most important, all our spiritual needs, all
our spiritual needs are in Christ. We do not want for any spiritual
blessings. They're all in Christ. They're
all in Him. I shall not want. He maketh me. Now notice that. He maketh me,
Delilah. Now naturally, we're sheep, we're
gone. Left to ourselves, we're gone.
But he maketh me to lie down in green pastures. Oh, the green
pastures of his word. He leadeth me beside the still
waters, calm waters. He restores my soul born again
in the spirit. He leadeth me in the path of
righteousness for his name's sake. More trials you have to
endure in this life. the more of communion you shall
have with our Lord and Savior. And this is true for all tried
children of God. Sister Marge told me not long
ago that she thanked the Lord for her cancer. She thanked the
Lord for what she was going through. She said, Brother Wayne, it's
drawn me closer to Christ than ever before. And now she's beholden. 1 Peter
1. Turn there if you could. 1 Peter 1. Oh, He gives us quiet
and peace in the midst of turmoil and sorrow. 1 Peter 1. God's people are hidden. The
hidden ones. 1 Peter 1, verses 6-9. wherein ye greatly rejoice through
now, for a season, if need be, you are in heaviness through
manifold temptations. That the trial of your faith,
being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though
it be tried with fire, might be found unto the praise and
honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ, Whom heaven
not seen, ye love. Now, Sister Marge's faith is
now sight. She hoped in Christ. That which
she hoped for, now she sees. Because if you see something,
you won't hope for it. But we hope for that which we
have not seen. Our hope rests in Christ, in
Him alone. Whom have not seen ye love, in whom though now ye
see him not yet believin', ye rejoice with joy unspeakable
and full of glory." How can sinners, safe sinners, who are going through
the turmoil of this world have joy? Because our hope and our
rest is Christ. It's in Him. It's in Him. He keeps us. Receive in the end of your faith
even the salvation of your souls. So God's hidden ones are given
peace and quiet even in the midst of turmoil and sorrow. Why are
God's people called the hidden ones? Because they are not understood
by the world. He who has been made to live
under God, born again by the Holy Spirit, lives a life that
is incomprehensible to the natural man. They don't understand us. Not at all. They don't understand the things
of God, and they think God's people are weak, and we are. He's our strength. He's our strength. We're weak in ourselves, aren't
we? But oh, we trust and rest in the strength of another. And
in our weakness, he is strong. But the world does not understand
us. And I know. Just think of where we were before
we were saved. You're perfectly content letting
folks go to church. But I just did not even want to be
around anyone who was. And I was Catholic. And I was
supposedly a good Catholic. Good Catholics go to church about
once a year, maybe twice. That's how I was. Christmas and
Easter. Never read the Bible. Never had
a clue what the word said. Nothing. Nothing. Was quite content letting people
just live however they wanted to live. It's okay. No thoughts
of spiritual things unless I was in trouble. Oh, we who are the hidden ones. The world does not understand
us. Turn, if you would, to 1 John 3, verses 1 and 2. And remember how we used to believe,
how we used to think about Christians before the Lord saved us. 1 John
3, verses 1 and 2. Behold what manner
of love. Now think of this, beloved. What
a marvelous statement this is. What a marvelous, behold. This grabs our attention. Behold
what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, upon believers. He's loved us with an everlasting
love. that we should be called the
sons of God. Therefore the world knoweth us
not, because it knew him not. You ever hear people say, drives
me crazy when I hear this. You ever hear people say, well,
you have to be a certain way because folks, they have to see
Jesus in you. We've talked about that before.
They didn't even see Jesus in himself. They didn't know who
he was. Or they say, you need to be the
hands and feet of Jesus. What? He's almighty God. He can do whatever he pleases. He's a king. He's the king. The world knew him not. Therefore,
the world knoweth us not because it knew him not. Beloved, now
are we, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear
what we shall be. Absolutely sinless in glory. When we receive our promotion, We're in the presence of the
King with no sin. But we shall be glorified. But
we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him. We're being
conformed to the image of Christ. For we shall see him as he is,
and the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. The world does not understand
the believer, because they do not know Christ. And beloved,
we are not of this world. We seek a better country. We
seek a better country. And the gospel is good news from
a far country. Good news from a far country.
We're just strangers and pilgrims going through this well. And
know this, that our loved ones, that our church family who've
died, those who were in Christ, beholding the face of the King
of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Oh, it's magnificent. Behold
what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we
should be called the sons of God. Why are God's people called the
hidden ones? Because all the saints of God
are not yet revealed. Not yet revealed. God has His
sheep scattered all through this world, all through time. And He will save His sheep by
the preaching of the Gospel. The Holy Spirit shall move and
regenerate. and saved sheep, bring them to
Christ. This is why we proclaim the gospel,
this is why we have one message and one message alone, Christ
and Him crucified. He shall save His sheep by the
preaching of the gospel, by the Holy Spirit regenerating, and
they will, they will be born again. They will be, there's
no doubt. They will be born again. And
they will. They will believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ. Thy people shall be made willing
in the day of His power. His power. Turn, if you would,
to Colossians chapter 1. God will manifest Himself to
all the saints who are not yet revealed by the preaching of
the gospel. through the preaching of the
gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is God incarnate in the flesh. God incarnate in the flesh. Look
at this in Colossians chapter one, verses 26 to 28. Even the mystery, even the mystery. This is the mystery of the gospel,
which has been hid from ages and from generations. We looked
at that before. Think of all those countries.
All those countries that perished without Christ, the Egyptians, the Canaanites, Greeks, Romans
just left in their idolatry. Left. What does God have to do
for a man to go to hell? Just leave him alone. What does
God have to do to save a sinner? Everything. Everything. Even the mystery which has been
hid from ages and from generations. Look at this marvelous statement.
But now is made manifest to his saints, to his people, to his
sheep, to his elect. to whom God would make known
what is the riches and the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles,
which is Christ in you, the hope of glory, whom we preach." This
is the One we proclaim. This is the One we preach. Christ. This is the only One who can
redeem your soul. Christ in Him. Whom we preach.
Warn in every man. The Gospel goes out to all, doesn't
it? Warn in every man. Flee to Christ. In teaching every
man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in
Christ Jesus. And we looked at that, that those
who are presented perfect in Christ Jesus are His sheep, the
hidden ones. Now, what are some of the benefits
that the hidden ones have? They have all spiritual blessings
in Jesus Christ our Lord. We are justified. We who believe
are justified before God, clothed in the perfect righteousness
of Christ, which He which He wove for believers as He fulfilled
the law of God. Perfectly. We're made wise unto salvation
and redeemed and ransomed by the precious blood of Christ.
Turn, if you would, to Acts chapter 15. Acts chapter 15. Those whom
God has chosen in Christ in eternity, those whom God gave to Christ
in eternity, those whom Christ has redeemed upon the cross by
the shedding of His own blood, shall come to Him. shall come
to him." Is there anything that catches God by surprise? Anything? Nope. Amen, brother. No way.
Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Nothing. Look at Acts 15, 18. No one under
God are all His works from the beginning of the world. He knows
everything. He knows whom He chose. He knows
whom He has redeemed. He knows whom He has called and
He knows whom He will call. He knows whom He has justified.
He has not done any of these things in the dark. None of them. He knows His people and He loves
His people for eternity with an everlasting love. Nothing
is left up to the sinner for the salvation of their souls.
No works of ours, the Lord Jesus Christ has done it all. We look to Him and live. Salvation is of the Lord. He
knows what it costs to redeem you. He planned and purposed it. God
knows. He planned and purposed it. And
He sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, God incarnate in the
flesh, to purchase the eternal souls of His hidden ones. Now, we do not know who the elect
of God are. We preach the gospel. Proclaim
the gospel. But God knows. They are not hidden
from Him. And remember this, beloved of
God. Remember you who are one of the hidden ones. Remember
this. He knows all your sorrow. He knows it all. All of it. He knows all your trials. He knows everything. He knows all your pain. He knows your sickness. He knows
your thoughts. He knows the trouble that is
yet to come. And He has promised, He has promised
to never leave you nor forsake you. Never. Let's look at who keeps the hidden
ones. Look at verse 18 in Psalm 83. Who is the one who has promised
to never leave us? Who is the one who's promised
to never forsake us? Who is the one who keeps the
hidden ones? And who is the one we are hidden in? Look at verse
18, that man may know. Psalm 83, verse 18, that man
may know that thou whose name alone is Jehovah art the most high over all the
earth. Here again before us is the one
who hides believers, Jehovah. The self-existent one. The one
who is most high over all the earth. And think of this, beloved, this
is the one who redeemed us. This is the one who keeps us.
This is the very one who's promised to never leave you, nor forsake
you. Self-sufficient. He is self-sufficient. He is Jehovah. Self-sufficient,
and He has all power and all perfection in Himself. He is the Most High God, Sovereign
Lord, far above all false gods, above all kings, above all governments,
above all that would exalt themselves and pretend to have power. He
rules supreme. He is king not only over the
land of Israel, here in our text, but over all the earth, and over
all the nations of the earth, over all that know Him, and over
all who do not know Him. For His kingdom rules over all. And God's people find great comfort
and rest. Turn, if you would, to Hebrews
chapter 4, Hebrews chapter 4. Great comfort and rest in this
fact that our God rules supreme, that He is King of kings and
Lord of lords. We have a rest in Christ. Hebrews 4, and also put your
finger in Psalm 37 and then we'll be done. Hebrews 4 and Psalm
37. Oh, what a rest we have in Christ.
Hebrews 4, verses 1-10. Let us therefore fear, lest a
promise be left of us of entering into His rest. Any of you should
seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached
as well as unto them, but the word preached did not profit
them. not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For we
which have believed, there is a key, for we which have believed
do enter into rest. He said, as I have sworn in my
wrath that they shall enter into my rest, although the works were
finished from the foundation of the world, for he spake in
a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, and God did
rest the seventh day from all his works, And in this place,
again, they shall enter into my rest, and that rest is Christ,
beloved. Seeing, therefore, it remaineth
that some may enter therein, and they to whom it was first
preached entered not in because of unbelief. Again, He limiteth
a certain day, saying in David, Today, after so long a time as
it is said, Today, if you will hear His voice, harden not your
hearts, For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not
afterward have spoken of another day. There remaineth therefore
a rest to the people of God. Oh, what a rest we have. What
a rest we have in Christ. For he that has entered into
his rest, look at this, he also has ceased from his own works. Cast your works aside, they won't
save you. The believer has entered into
Christ, entered into the rest of Christ. He ceased from his
own works as God did from His. Now folks will take that and
say, you're a bunch of antinomians. No, we're not. No, we're not.
The love of Christ constrains us from sin. We don't go crazy
and go out and do whatever we want because now we love our
Savior. We love Him. But we're entered
into the rest knowing that our works cannot save us. We've ceased
from our labors for saving us. We're resting in Christ, in Him
alone. Turn, if you would, to Psalm
37, and let the believer ponder this wonderful truth, the very
fact of God hiding His people, shows you, shows us, shows we
who believe, that He means to keep us safe. We will never perish. For He keeps His saints and protects
them and watches over them always, always. Psalm 37, 23, look at this. Verse 26, the steps of a good
man are what? Ordered by the Lord. He delighteth
in his way. God's people delight in the ways
of God. Our steps are ordered by the
Lord and we delight in his way. Though he fall, he shall not
be utterly cast down. And we fall all the time, don't
we? We fell all the time. But scripture says, look at this
marvelous truth. He shall not be utterly cast down. God keeps
his people. He preserves his people. We're
just sinners saved by grace, aren't we? And who's the one? Who's the
one? For the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. That's the same,
that's Jehovah. The same word we've been looking
at. I have been young and now I'm
old, yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken. God will never forsake his people.
Never. Know our seed, beg, and bread.
He is ever merciful. Let us remember that. Let us
remember that the Lord is ever merciful to us in Christ, ever,
all the time. We are daily loaded down with
benefits, daily, daily. He is ever merciful and lendeth
and to see it as blessed. We who believe are blessed in
Christ and Him alone. We preach the Gospel. We preach the Gospel and we're
on the trail. God's preachers will tell you
we're on the trail of God's sheep. Brother Henry said that years
ago and it's so true. We are on the trail of the hidden
ones of God. Preaching and proclaiming and God does the saving. And
God does the drawing. May He be glorified by the preaching
of His Word. Turn with me.