All right, let's take our Bibles
once again and turn to Psalm 107. Psalm 107. Of all that can be considered
as to what a hell-deserving sinner could possibly give unto the
Lord. You think, what can I give to
the Lord? What can I do? The Spirit of God has been pleased
to reveal the truth of that which we owe. Psalm 107, verse 10,
give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good. Give thanks unto
the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 5.18 says in
everything, Give thanks for this is the will
of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Whenever thanks, turn to
Luke 17, verse 11. Whenever thanks is given unto
the Lord, the Lord is ever mindful. Luke 17, verse 11. says he came to pass as he went
to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria
and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain
village, there met him 10 men, which were lepers, which stood
afar off. And they lifted up their voices
and said, Jesus master, have mercy on us. And when he saw
them, he said unto them, go show yourselves unto the priest. And
it came to pass that as they went, they were cleansed. And
one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back with
a loud voice, glorified God, fell down on his face at his
feet, giving him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. And Jesus
answering said, were there not 10 cleansed? But where are the
nine? So the Lord, We give thanks unto the Lord,
unto Jehovah, Father, Son, Spirit. I don't know how to give thanks
unto the Lord that the Lord would be pleased to choose me. I know that. I know that. But
Neil, I don't know how to give thanks that God Almighty, from
before the foundation of the world, 2 Thessalonians 2.13,
but we're bound to give thanks unto God for you, brethren, beloved
of the Lord, because He has chosen you to salvation through sanctification
of the spirit and belief of the truth. We're bound to give thanks. Give thanks unto the Lord God,
the Father, that he would choose me. To give thanks that the Lord
Jesus Christ would bear my guilt, bear my sin, be made sin for
this sinner and pay my debt. I don't know how to be thanked.
One day, I'm sure, I'll see more clearly and be able to have a
clearer understanding of giving thanks. Thanks unto Him and thanks
unto the Spirit of God that would stop this hell deserving rebel. Stop me. Stop me. Arrest me spiritually
like the Lord did to Saul on the road to Damascus. Saul, Saul. Why persecutest thou me? Thanks
to the Spirit of God. Oh, give thanks unto the Lord,
for he is good. Mr. Strong said this concerning
that word good. What does it mean? Beautiful,
best, better, bountiful, graciously, kindness, most, precious, ready. Give thanks unto the Lord, he's
good. For his mercy endureth forever. His mercy had no beginning. His mercy had no beginning, and
it certainly will have no end. It says His mercy endureth forever. The Lord, who has eternally,
everlastingly loved His people, He saw them in Adam's fall. You know this. He saw them in
Adam's fall before He ever made them. You think there's anything ever
surprised God? He saw His people fall in Adam. His mercy was always. He's always had mercy on his
people. How do you know? Because he don't change. Nothing's
ever been added to God. He didn't decide one day to start
having mercy. God Almighty, he said, I change
not. I don't change. He's always had
mercy. Verse two, let the redeemed of
the Lord say so. what mercy has been bestowed
upon particularly redeemed of the Lord. He said, I laid down
my life for the sheep and told some Pharisees when they called
him on it. He said, won't you be playing
with us? He just said, I laid down my life for the sheep. And
they said, be playing. He said, I'm playing with you.
I'm playing. He said, John 10, 15, verse 25. He said, you believe not because
you're not my sheep. My sheep hear my voice. I know
them. They follow me. You're not my
sheep. Lord, thank you. Thank you for having mercy on
me. And let the redeemed say so.
Lord, thank you. Lord, thank you. I know the Lord's
here. Lord, thank you. Thank you. Oh, what praise we owe Him. when
I consider, when any of us would consider the demands of the law
for righteousness, judgment. Lord, thank you. Thank you for
having mercy on this sinner. Let the redeemed of the Lord
say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy. He's
redeemed us from somebody. Turn over to Colossians 1. Colossians
chapter 1. Colossians chapter 1, 12 to 14.
He's redeemed us from the hand of the enemy. Colossians 1, verse
12. Giving thanks unto the Father,
which hath made us meet fit to be partakers of the inheritance
of the saints in life, who hath delivered us from the power of
darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear
son. Well, I'm telling you, when I
read something like that and I say, you know what? He delivered
us, translated us into the kingdom of his son, brought us out, delivered
us, the scripture says, redeemed us from the hand of the enemy. And the scripture declares in
verse three, Gathered them out of the lands, from the east,
from the west, from the north, from the south. That word south
there interpreted from the sea. Most writers seem to think that
that was a boundary, but that's what the word is interpreting.
Gathered them from the east, west, north, and from the south. Those that have been redeemed,
they're going to be gathered. I know this, turn to Hebrews
2. Hebrews chapter 2. Hebrews 2 verse 10 to 13. Hebrews
2 verse 10. For it became Him for
whom are all things and by whom are all things in bringing many
sons unto glory to make the captain of their salvation perfect through
suffering for both He that sanctifyeth and they who are sanctified are
all of one, for which cause he's not ashamed to call them brethren,
saying, I will declare thy name unto my children in the midst
of the church while I sing praise unto thee. And again, I will
put my trust in him. And again, behold, I and the
children which God has given me. Scripture says, give thanks
unto the Lord. He's good. His mercy endureth
forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord
say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy and
gathered them out of the lands from the east, west, north, south. Where did he find them? Verse
four said they wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way. They found no city to dwell in,
keeping with the context of the Lord's mercy toward the redeemed.
Here, the psalmist is setting forth that these were They were
gathered out of the lands. Deuteronomy 37, turn there, that
gives some real light. This is how the Lord gathers
His people while they were wandering in the wilderness. Deuteronomy
32, look at seven to 12. Deuteronomy 32, seven, remember
the days of old. Consider the years of many generations. Ask thy father, he will show
thee, and thy elders, they will tell thee, when the Most High
divided to the nations their inheritance. When he separated
the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according
to the number of the children of Israel. For the Lord's portion
is his people. Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. He found him in a desert land,
in the waste, howling wilderness. led him about, instructed him,
kept him as the apple of his eyes. The eagle stirreth up her
nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh
them, beareth them on her wings. So the Lord alone did lead him. There was no strange God with
him. What does the Lord do? He's gonna
gather his people, gather them out all over the world, finds
them wandering in a wilderness in a solitary way. They found
no city to dwell in, but you know, even after the Lord gathers
them out, he found them in the wilderness, but after he gathers
them out of the wilderness, you know, they still realize now
where they are. They didn't know that before.
They didn't know they were in a wilderness, but they were wandering
about in deception. They were in a solitary way.
It means in a wasteland or a desert. They found no city to dwell in. There was no rest. There was
no peace. There was no joy, comfort. Before conversion, the sheep,
like all men born, they didn't know the emptiness of the desolation. You know, before the Lord called
me out of darkness, I didn't know that I was in a spiritual
wilderness. I didn't know that. Never even
crossed my mind, eh? I didn't know that. But you know,
after he called me out of darkness, now I know it. Now I know why.
I know I'm here. I know what's going on. Now,
but the people, he calls them out of the wilderness, out of
the bondage, sin and unbelief, and now they realize something. And they're gonna say the same
thing that's said in Hebrews 13, 14. Let me read this for
you. For here we have no continuing
city, but we seek one to come. Now we're traveling through this
world, just like Abraham. Scripture says, Hebrews 11, 9
and 10, by faith. He sojourned in the land of promise,
as in a strange country, dwelling in the tabernacles with Isaac
and Jacob. The heirs with him of the same
promise, he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose
builder and maker is God. Now you that believe, that's
what you're doing right now. As soon as I read that, that's
what you thought. That's what I look for. There's
some things I don't know about it. The Lord said in my father's
house are many mansions. I don't know what to say about
that. I know it's so because the Lord said it. He said, I
go to prepare a place for you. I know he went to the cross,
bore my guilt, put away my sins. I know that. Redeemed me in time
by his blood. That was God's purpose. I know
that. But I tell you what, just reading that Abraham, he was
wandering in tabernacles and heirs of the same prophet, he
looked for a city. I'm thinking, Lord, I don't know
what to, I don't know how to set that clearly in my mind,
but as you say it is, that's the way it is. Verse five, hungry
and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. Now here's a state of
one made sensitive to his truth. and his eternal need. Now, before
the Lord was pleased to gather his sheep out of the lands. That's
what he said he did. That's what he gathered them
out. Verse three, he gathered them out. But let me tell you
what we all thought. We all were like the city of
Laodicea. Rich, increased with goods, and
have need of nothing. That's, you know. You know, I'm
pretty good here. I've made a good living. I've got, you know, worked hard. And the Lord has pronounced the
state that was coming for those that had found all their pleasure
in this world. This is what I thought. I thought
I was rich and increased with goods and I had need of nothing
before I knew him. Really, you know, I went to church
every once in a while. I was a good guy, you know. I
worked hard and living. I'm living the dream, you know.
Luke 6. Here was the state. Luke 6, 24. Here was the state
that I was under. And all men know him not. Luke
chapter 6. Verse 24. Woe unto you that are rich. I thank you, sir. Thank you, Lord. Even rich before
God. Woe unto you that don't know
him, but thank you because you've done something. Woe unto you
that are rich, for ye have received your consolation. Woe unto you
that are full, for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now,
for you shall mourn and weep. Woe unto you when all men shall
speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets. Woe to those that find their
comfort in the riches of this world. Woe, woe, alas. Woe to those that think that
the things of this life has filled their every need. Those that
laugh now, laughter that is gonna be turned into mourning, In that
day, Lord, Lord, we, I never knew you. Woe unto all men that
praise false doctrine. Those that preach lies, spoken
lies on God. That's what he said. You think
you're full. You think that you have everything. Hungry and thirsty, their soul
fainted in them. This is the state now after the
Lord has taught them. The word fainted, it means to
be feeble and grow weak, which is exactly the opposite of what
I thought I was. I thought I was rich and increased
with goods and had need of nothing. Now, now I know something. And as far as hungering and thirsting,
God's people do hunger and thirst. But they hunger and thirst after
righteousness. They hunger and thirst after
Him. And they grow weary. Heart faints. They grow weary of this world.
And they long to be with Him. Scripture says in verse 6 and
7, then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble. and he delivered
them out of their distresses and he led them forth by the
right way that they might go to a city of habitation. How
wisely merciful is our Lord as he brings us through this world.
Wisely merciful, this is what I mean. He allows us to experience
the struggles that we suffer in this world. Suffer with the
flesh. suffered with the fiery darts
of Satan. And what do we do? I'll tell
you what we do now. We cry unto the Lord in our trouble.
And here's what he's promised. I'll deliver you out of Maul.
Brethren, we admit that the Lord has chosen the right way for
us. Read what he says. They cried
unto the Lord in their trouble. He delivered them out of their
distresses. He led them forth by the right way. You know, I would never choose
a thorny way. I'm going to choose the way of
least resistance. I don't, I don't like, I don't
like going through a lot of weeds. I don't like that. I don't like
going through weeds. I'll tell you why. Man, when
I was young, I caught poison ivy so bad it was horrible. It
was horrible. If you've never had it, good,
good. I've had it. If I had to go through
a patch of poison ivy or I had to walk a mile around, I'm going
the mile. I'm telling you, we go through
things led by the Lord that naturally speaking, I wouldn't choose.
I wouldn't choose that way. But when the Lord directs us,
The scripture says he led them forth by the right way. When
a doctor told me one day, about 14 years ago, Marvin found something
on your bladder. I wouldn't have chose that. I
wouldn't have chose that. I wouldn't have chose any of
that. But you know what? I know in my heart, it was the
right way. It was the right way. David said,
it's good for me that I've been afflicted, that I might know,
that I might learn of your statutes. Brethren, God's people admit,
I know this. He gathered me. He gathered me
out of the lands. I was wandering in the wilderness
in a solitary way. I found no city to dwell in.
Thought I did, but I didn't. Wasn't until afterwards. Hungry
and thirsty, their soul fainted at them. They cried unto the
Lord in their trouble. He delivered them out of their
distresses. He led them forth by the right way. That right
way that was His way. And they admitted. We're led
by the right way and a good and perfect reasoning. His reasoning. that we might go to a city of
habitation. John 14, two, and I'll close.
John 14, two. Here's the city I quoted just
a while ago. Here's the city of our habitation.
In my father's house are many mansions. If it were not so,
I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place
for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself. That
where I am, there ye may be also. And whether I go, And whether I go, ye know, and
the way I know. Thomas said unto him, Lord, we
know not whether thou goest, and how can we know the way?
And Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father
but by me. Brethren, give thanks unto the Lord. He's good, he's
good. He's gathered us, all his people,
he's gathered us, he's loved us. He's leading us through this
wilderness. And we're going to a city of
habitation. We're going. God's people thank Him. Thank
Him. Thank Him. We're going to have the