I come here tonight with a message
for you who are of a fearful heart. You'll find my text in
Isaiah chapter 35. This is God's command to his
prophet Isaiah. He tells his messenger to deliver
this message to those who are his people. Saved believing sinners. Saved believing sinners who are
of a fearful heart. Look at verse three. Strengthen
ye the weak hands and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them
that are of a fearful heart, be strong, fear not, behold your
God. Behold, your God will come with
vengeance, even God with a recompense. He will come and save you. Now we know that these words
are addressed to God's people, to chosen, redeemed, saved, believing
sinners. Because the 12th chapter of the
book of Hebrews tells us that plainly. Hold your hands here
in Isaiah and turn over to Hebrews 12. Hebrews 12. Isaiah's message is not a message
to unbelievers, but to believers who are of a fearful heart. Hebrews
chapter 12, verse one. Wherefore, seeing we also are
compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us
lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset
us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.
looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who,
for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising
the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne
of God. For consider him that endured
such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied
and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto
blood, striving against sin, and ye have forgotten the exhortation
which speaketh unto you as unto children. My son, despise not
thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked
of him. For whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth, and scourgeth
every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God
dealeth with you as with sons. For what son is he whom the father
chasteneth not? But if you'd be without chastisement,
whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards and not sons.
Furthermore, we've had fathers of our flesh, which corrected
us, and we gave them reverence. Shall we not much rather be in
subjection to the father of spirits and live? For they verily for
a few days chastened us after their own pleasure. But he for
our prophet, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now,
no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous. Nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth
the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised
thereby. And then it comes to this text from Isaiah. Wherefore,
lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and
make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame
be turned out of the way, but let it rather be healed. follow
peace with all men and holiness without which no man shall see
the Lord. Say ye to them that are of a fearful heart, be strong,
fear not, behold your God. The fact is many of God's dear
children in this world live continually struggling with weak hands, feeble
knees and fearful hearts. If those words describe you,
this message is for you. Better than 50 years ago, visiting
my friend, Brother Harry Graham, down in Winston-Salem, North
Carolina, we were talking about the matter of assurance. I had
expressed some questions to Brother Graham, and he said to me, I've
never had a doubt about my salvation since the day God saved me, never
a doubt. Now, honestly, if I'd have heard
most any other man make that statement, I doubt that I would
have believed him. But I'm confident Harry was telling
the truth. And yet when he made that statement,
my astonishment must have been obvious in my face because he
repeated himself, never a doubt, not one. I was only 19 years
old and was full of doubts and fears and questions. Harry was
already in his 50s. I had just begun preaching. Harry
had been preaching the gospel for a number of years. He was
a man who'd been walking with God for years and said, I've
never had a doubt, but I had so many. How could that be? The fact is not all of God's
saints are full of confidence and assurance. Most are not. I say that only from observation. I have no way of measuring it
for certain. People who are religious are
presumptuous and they presume they're fine and fit for heaven
and everything's all right. The people who worship God are
serious and they take things seriously. And they take themselves
and their profession seriously. Brother Harry Graham was a confident
man. And we should be all the time. We should walk before God with
the full assurance of faith, but we rarely do. Most of us
are more like Brother John Newton. Newton, of course, that famed
Anglican preacher many, many years ago, one day, Our hearts
are like his and we soar to heaven and sing amazing grace. How sweet
the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but
now am found, was blind, but now I see. And the next day,
like Newton, we sigh with deep bass notes of sorrow, concern,
grief, and fear. Tis a point I long to know. often causes anxious thought.
Do I love the Lord or no? Am I his or am I not? My message tonight specifically
is intended for brother and sister fear hop. God our Savior says to his prophets
and preachers, say to them that are of fearful hearts, be strong. Fear not. I looked it up again
today. I didn't look up all of them,
but something well over a hundred times, the Lord God says to his
people in this book, fear not, or be not afraid, or fear thou
not. Let not your heart be troubled.
Well over a hundred times, he says that to us because this
is a difficulty God's people have in all the ages. God's saints
in this world are people who are in need of continual comfort
and encouragement. This is his command to every
preacher, to every prophet. Look at Isaiah chapter 40. Comfort ye, comfort ye my people,
saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem
and cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished. that her iniquity
is pardoned, for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for
all her sins. God commands me as a preacher,
as his messenger, to preach his gospel to you with clarity, declaring
that your warfare is accomplished. Redemption's finished. Christ
has finished the work. You will receive of the Lord's
hand double for all your sins. This is God's word to you who
believe. And as God commands me to minister
comfort to his saints, the Lord God graciously supplies comfort
from his own word. He speaks constantly and says
to us, fear not. He said, you're mine. I've called
you by name. I've redeemed you. Don't be afraid.
When you pass through the waters, they won't overflow you. When
you pass through the fire, the flame shall not kindle upon you.
No weapon formed against you shall prosper. Fear not, be not
afraid. The word translated fearful here
in our text, if you look in the marginal translation, it's translated
hasty. Why is that? Well, fearful men
and women are always hasty. They jump to conclusions. Fear
is never wise. It's never patient. It's never
reasonable. The fearful heart always says
like Jacob, all these things are against me. Brother fear
heart forgets the promises, the providence and the power of God.
Sister fear heart forgets the truth, wisdom and faithfulness
of God. Acting on impulse, we get in
trouble. The fear heart judges the Lord
by feeble sense and fails to trust him for his grace. They
see the cloud of providence, but not God's smiling face. They
taste the bitter, bitter bud, but not the sweetness of the
flower. Fear and unbelief, their hearts
flood, increasing every hour. To you especially, who struggle
with fear in your hearts, God gives this word, be strong, fear
not, behold your God. I don't say that fear and faith
do not exist together, I know better. There was a man by the
name of David, man after God's own heart, a striking type of
our Lord Jesus Christ, who once said, what tie? I'm afraid I
will trust in thee. But I do say that fear is inconsistent
with faith. It is inconsistent with faith
and it robs us of much joy and much gladness while we walk in
this world. So tonight, I want to talk to
you very plainly, very simply, nothing profound to say at all,
but I'm going to talk to you about some of the things I have
experienced and still experience. Things I experienced as a young
believer and still struggle to overcome. As I do, I suspect
my experiences will remind you somewhat of yours. So let me
make four or five statements. Here's the first. I know, and
you do, that this book teaches the sweet, sweet gospel doctrine
of God's sovereign election and his eternal love for his people.
We know it and we love it. Many are called, our Savior said,
but few are chosen. He said, you have not chosen
me, but I have chosen you. We're bound to give thanks all
the way to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because
God had from the beginning chosen you to salvation. What wondrous,
wondrous grace. This book teaches God's free
sovereign election that men cavil all they will, it's as plain
as nose on your face. You can't possibly read this
book and miss it except God blind your eyes in judgment. It's plainly
revealed in the book. And we know also that God's elect
shall be saved. All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me, our Savior said. They shall come to me. Those who are loved of God, predestined
to eternal life, shall be saved by God's almighty grace. There's
no possibility that's not going to happen. Not only that, we
recognize that only God's elect shall be saved. Now I want you
to look at this, Romans chapter nine, Romans chapter nine. Paul's speaking here concerning
God's sovereignty, the sovereignty of God's grace, and how it is
that God saves sinners. He says in verse 11, the children
being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, That takes
works out of it. That takes sin out of it. That
takes what you have done or haven't done out of it. They've not done
any good or evil. And the reason it's written this
way is that the purpose of God, according to election might stand,
not of works, but of him that calleth. It was said unto her,
the elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have
I loved, but Esau have I hated. Well, that's just talking about
two brothers. Two brothers who represent all the human race. All either the sons of Jacob
or the sons of Esau. All either elect or reprobate. All either loved of God or hated
of God. Jacob have I loved, but Esau
have I hated. Now folks say, well, that's,
I don't understand that. You do understand it. That's
not hard to understand. It means exactly what it appears
to mean. What shall we say then? How do
you respond to that? Is there unrighteousness with
God? God forbid. For he saith to Moses, I will
have mercy on whom I will have mercy. And I will have compassion
on whom I will have compassion. So then, this is the conclusion
that the Apostle Paul draws to what he has just stated, and
he draws the conclusion by divine inspiration of God the Holy Spirit. So then, It is not. Salvation is not. Grace is not. Election is not. It is not of
him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that
showeth mercy. Salvation is not by your works.
It's not by your choice. It's not by your will. Salvation
is by God's will, God's work, and God's purpose. Read on. For
the Scripture saith unto Pharaoh, even for this same purpose have
I raised thee up, that I might show my power in thee, and that
my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore hath
he mercy, on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. This matter of God's sovereign
election has never been a difficulty for me as a believer. I've never
had any struggle with it. I sat in Sunday school classes
as a teenage boy for many months, sat there because I started attending
church so I could date this girl that was attending the church.
She had no interest in the things of God, but God had some interest
in me. And I had two men. Brother Lloyd
Moore, Brother Leroy Pack, both of them have been preachers for
many, many years. And they faithfully taught the
gospel of God's free grace. So these things were clear to
me, had no difficulty at all. They were ordinary affair in
my mind. But here's a question that caused
me much fear and concern, even as a young believer. What if
I'm not one of God's elect? And I can't tell you. How many
times I have had men and women ask me that very question. But
what if I'm not one of the elect? That's the wrong question. That's not a question to be asked.
That's not a question to be asked. Do I believe? That's the question. Do I trust the Lord Jesus Christ?
That's the question. Faith is the fruit of election. And you cannot have the fruit
if you don't have the root. The evidence of election is faith
in Christ. That's the evidence of it. We
won't read it today, but I would urge you to read 1 Thessalonians
1. Brother Lindsey read the first
chapter of 2 Thessalonians back in the office and it was such
a blessing. But in the first chapter of 1 Thessalonians, we
read in those 10 verses, five marks of election. Those who
are saved by God's grace, God's elect, are a people known by
their hearing ears, their following feet, their serving hands, their
converted heart, and their waiting hope. Knowing, brethren beloved,
your election of God. How can you, how can I know you're
elect when you believe I know you're elect? When I believe,
I know my name is in the book of life. I know that I was chosen
in Christ before the world began, not because of anything I feel
at any time. Not because of any experience
I've had at any time. Not because I feel close to God. I usually don't. Now because I have done any work
that I think maybe would measure me as one of God's saints, I
know my name is in that book, the book of life of the Lamb
slain from the foundation of the world because I believe on
the Son of God. When I feel saved and when I
don't feel saved, when I have those brief, sweet experiences
when I feel God's presence and when I don't feel his presence.
I am his and the evidence is faith in Christ. That's the only
issue. That's the only question. Second,
I know that the Lord Jesus affectionately redeemed his people by his blood
atonement at Calvary. and that not one of those sinners
for whom Christ died at Calvary shall ever perish. Come back
to Isaiah again. Look at Isaiah 53. Just look
at this one passage. Isaiah 53, verse nine. He was
numbered with transgressors. In verse nine, he made his grave
with the wicked and with the rich in his death because he
had done no violence. Neither was any deceit in his
mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise
him. He hath put him to grief. When thou shalt make his soul
an offering for sin, this will be the result. He shall see his
seed. He shall prolong his days. And
the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall
see of the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied. By his knowledge, By his knowledge
of who he is and what he's done, by his knowledge shall my righteous
servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities. He says, I am the good shepherd.
The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. He said,
I lay down my life for the sheep. We rejoice in the teaching of
scripture with regard to our Savior's particular effectual
redemption. He died specifically for his
elect. He laid down his life specifically
for his sheep. All those for whom he died shall
be saved by the merit of his blood, all of them, no possibility
of exception. He who satisfied the justice
of God shall be satisfied by the justice of God, for justice
demands the salvation of those for whom Christ died. The notion
of universal redemption is universal nonsense and universal blasphemy. But what if I'm not one of those
for whom Christ died? Again, that's not the question.
The question is, do I trust Christ, the Redeemer? If the blood has
been applied to me, I'm redeemed. If God has purged me with hyssop
from Immanuel's sacrifice, I'm redeemed. The blood cannot be
applied in the wrong way. The fruit of redemption is pardon.
If I'm pardoned, I'm redeemed. If I believe that Jesus is the
Christ, if you believe that Jesus is the Christ, you too are redeemed. Redeemed by him when he died
at Calvary. How can you say that? In John
chapter 10 and verse 26, there were a group of folks standing
there when our Lord gave out this message of the good shepherd. a group of religious people,
very religious people. And they didn't like what he
said. And our Savior said to them, you believe not because
you're not of my sheep. As I said unto you, I know my
sheep hear my voice. I know them and they follow me
and I give unto them eternal life. I know that Christ died
for and redeem this sinner because I believe him. I trust
him, him alone for everything for God. All righteousness, all
forgiveness, all pardon, all atonement, all satisfaction,
all sanctification, all holiness, all salvation. I trust him alone. I do not. And I can't say much about things
I do and don't do. But this I confess and thankfully
confess. I trust Christ. I don't pretend
to be a man of great faith. I just said I trust him. I don't
pretend to be a person of exemplary confidence. I just simply tell
you I trust Him. I have no hope before God and
I want none except Christ. How about you? How about you? Do you believe on the Son of
God? If you do, it's because He redeemed
you. All right, turn to John chapter
six. I know, and you know, no man
can come to Christ unless he's been called by the Spirit of
God. Have I been called by the Spirit? If I've come, then I've
been called. Look at John chapter 6, verse
44. Our Savior says, no man can. That's a word of ability. No
man can. No man has the ability to come
to me. except the Father which hath
sent me draw him, and I will raise him up at the last day."
That draw is not just a tug hoping you'll come. That draw is the
effectual call of the Spirit of God by which you come. It
is written in the prophets, and they shall all, they shall be
all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath
heard and learned of the Father cometh unto me. How is this done? Verse 63. It is the spirit that
quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing. The words that I speak
unto you, they are spirit and they are life. I can't say that I've had the
kind of experience the Apostle Paul had on the road to Damascus. I can't say that I've had the
kind of experience that Philippian Jailer had that night the earthquake
in the jailhouse when it was broke open. I can't say I've
had the kind of experience that Peter, James, and John had when
the Lord Jesus came by, or Bartimaeus had when the Lord Jesus passed
through Jericho. Quit looking for such. Quit looking
back to yesterday. That woman with an issue of blood,
who came after 12 years suffering at the hands of physicians of
no value. We read nowhere in scripture
that she knew anything about a call. But obviously she was
called of God because she came to the Savior. And coming to
the Savior, she came because she was called to him. And she
said in her heart, if I could just touch the hem of his garment,
I'd be made whole. And she reached out and touched
the hem of his garment. And immediately, virtue came
from him to her. Why? Because she was called of
God. And being called of God, she
came to him, trusting him. Now, I want you to listen to
this. Mr. Spurgeon made this statement, and I think it's outstanding.
You may never know exactly how you were convinced of sin, nor
how you were quickened by the Holy Spirit, but if you have
come to Christ, that's enough, for you would never have come
to him unless he had drawn you. I would like to print those words
in large letters and mail them to preachers all over the world.
Preachers like to get folks hiding knots and they like to make clubs
and they'll meet you and want to talk to you about things so
they can decide whether or not you really believe God. Anytime
I'm asked by somebody, how did you come to know the Lord? I
usually give them a pretty snotty answer. Because I know what they're
doing. They're wanting to decide whether
or not I know him. The fact is, you may never know
exactly when God called you by his grace. Why should you? Why do you need to? There's something special about
that day, that time, that minute? No. If you've come to Christ,
if you've come to Christ, if you've come to Christ, you've
come because he called you, because he drew you. It is only the work
of God the Holy Ghost by which Christ is revealed. It is only
the work of God the Holy Ghost by which sinners are made to
come to Christ. If you come, you've been called. I know that I've been called
by the Spirit of God because I have come to Him. And I've had some, oh, I have
had some wonderful, wonderful experiences of God's grace. I've had some blessed, blessed
times. in private and in the public
assembly of God's people. I've had some, I've had some
blessed times. We'll take anything on this earth
for them. But I don't trust any. I don't mark any as evidences
of grace. I don't mark any as evidences
that I know God. I have come and I am coming to
Christ. to whom coming. We come to him
and we continue coming to him. And by his grace, I shall come
to him. And that brings me to the fourth
thing. We know only those who persevere in the faith, who persevere
to the end shall be saved. The righteous shall hold on his
way. He that endureth to the end,
our Savior said, shall be saved. Back in Hebrews 10, you don't
need to turn there again. The apostle wrote, the just shall
live by faith, but if any man draw back, my soul shall have
no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw
back unto perdition, but of them that believe unto the saving
of the soul. But how can I hope to persevere? Lindsay, I'm not just talking
to you. I fall a thousand times a day. How can I talk about perseverance?
How can I even talk about it? Faithful is he that calleth you,
who also will do it. He says, I will never leave thee
nor forsake thee. And I'm confident of this one
thing. He which hath begun a good work
in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. He said,
I'll give them one heart and one way and they shall not depart
from me. I know someone once said, Years
ago, I forgot who I heard say this, that salvation is sort
of like those three fabled blind men looking at an elephant. Each
one came up to a different part of the elephant and saw things
differently. And so it is with salvation. One thinks it's very
soft like the elephant's ear. Another thinks it's very hard
like it's tusk. And another thinks it's like
a rope you just tie a knot and hang on. There's a problem with
that. God's salvation is not an elephant
and we're not blind. We recognize that salvation is
God's work. It is God's work alone from beginning
to end. We believe God and we continue
to believe God only as he gives us faith to believe him. We rest
in Him and we continue to rest in Him moment by moment, second
by second, day by day, only as God the Holy Ghost works faith
in us. Salvation and our blessed security
in it is by God's purpose, God's purchase, God's promise, and
God's power. I know that I shall persevere
to the end, that I shall continue in faith, For one reason, I am
not moved away from the hope of the gospel. I believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ. Listen to this hymn by John Newton.
You may have never heard it. When any turn from Zion's way,
alas, what numbers do? Methinks I hear my Savior say,
will thou forsake me too? Ah, Lord, with such a heart as
mine, unless Thou hold me fast, I feel I must, I shall decline
and prove like them at last. Yet Thou alone has power, I know,
to save a wretch like me. To whom or whither could I go
if I should turn from Thee? Beyond a doubt, I rest assured,
Thou art the Christ of God, who hast eternal life secured. by promise and by blood. The help of men and angels joined
could never reach my case. Now can I hope relief to find
but in thy boundless grace. No voice but thine can give me
rest and bid my fears depart. No love but thine can make me
blessed and satisfy my heart. What anguish has that question
stirred? if I shall also go. Yet Lord,
relying on thy word, I answer humbly, no, no. How can you be sure? I believe
him. I trust him. One last thing. How could I think myself a child
of God? As Ruth sang just before the
message, when I'm so full of sin, when
I fall so often, when I have little comfort and much conflict,
when I'm so fickle, so cold, so indifferent, so hard, so sinful. I am, as the Shulma said, as
it were, the company of two armies. I sleep, but my heart wakens. I live in this body, two men, Christ and Adam, flesh
and spirit, righteousness and sin. Godliness and ungodliness. That which is born of God that
cannot see it. And that which is born of the devil that can
do nothing but see it. Being saved by God's free grace,
we're made partakers of the divine nature. And yet, here we are. When we think about what we are,
We blush before God and blush before one another without mentioning
a word. Just see it. Just see it. That's the whole of our depraved
nature. But there is in me a new man
created in righteousness and true holiness who believes God. and believe in God, I have eternal
life. This is what the Savior teaches
us. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life. He that believeth not the Son
shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. One question, one question. should settle all our fears in
all these regards. Dost thou believe on the Son
of God? I'm not asking how do you feel.
I'm not asking you how devoted you are. I'm not asking you how
strong is your faith. Dost thou believe on the Son
of God? Preacher, it can't be that simple. He that believeth that Jesus
is the Christ. He's born of God. Is that what God said? Is that
what he said, Paul? He that believeth that Jesus
is the Christ is born of God. Here I am. Believe in God's word. And I know that I have eternal
life because I believe. that Jesus is the Christ. He has accomplished the salvation
of his people. I trust him. That is the evidence
of God's grace of life eternal. The only evidence there is. Quit looking elsewhere and rest
in him. Amen.