Turn with me to the book of John,
chapter 16. John 16. I'd like to read the
last verse. John 16, verse 33. The Lord speaking, He said, These
things I have spoken unto you that in me you might have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation. But be a good cheer, I have overcome
the world. This morning I got up and had a burden on my heart concerning
just seeing and considering the frailty
of myself. I don't know if anyone else has
ever felt like that, I know you have. But as I contemplated the
frailty of our flesh and our need of having the Lord to encourage
us, I began to muse upon the things that I want to talk to
you for a few minutes about tonight. When a sinner is by the grace
of God regenerated, born from above. He's rescued from the bondage
of sin, the debt of his iniquity. Something happens within. There's
a struggle that begins that wasn't there before. And the older we
get, the more you realize, the more you know, the more you experience
that trouble. Now, I know that for all of us
in this room tonight, not only us here, but our brethren in
other parts, We're going through some tough times. There's some
people in here that's going through some tough trials right now.
And if you're not, you will. It's coming. The Lord promised
it. In the world you shall have tribulation. Peter, who walked with the Lord,
said this beloved think it not strange concerning the fiery
trial which is to try you as though some strange thing happened
unto you. The trials of a believer are
providentially sent to prove us. That is, to prove our faith
To prove our love for Christ and to prove our hope and confidence
in Him. They are sent. Think not it estrange
things concerning the fire trial which is to try you. Whatever we are going through,
whatever happens, the Lord sent that. He worketh all things,
remember, after the counsel of His own will. So trials come
our way, and when they do, we're made to remember afresh of our
frailty. You're not going to get any comfort
looking in, I can tell you that for a fact. But I can tell you
this, we do feel the frailty of our flesh. We know it. Now
tonight, I want to deal with this subject. I've entitled this,
My Need and his supply, my need. And that's my first point. Here
it is. I am in need. 2 Corinthians chapter four, turn
over 2 Corinthians four, verse eight to 10. 2 Corinthians chapter four, verses
eight to 10. The Apostle Paul says, we are
troubled on every side, yet not distressed. We are perplexed,
but not in despair. We're persecuted, but not forsaken,
cast down, but not destroyed. always bearing about in the body
the dying of the Lord Jesus. That the life also of Jesus might
be made manifest in our body. We are oppressed. Outwardly, yes, but inwardly
also. We're never free from trials. We're never free from trouble.
If one trial is removed by the good providence of God. Another
one, I'm telling you, is going to be divinely sent to take its
place. Paul said, we are troubled on
every side. There's always something. Now you think about it. Think
about your life. It's always something. There's
something. It's the never-ending story. And it's going to be like that
until we leave. It's not going to change. Sometimes
we think, you know, if I could just get a little bit of reprieve. Outwardly, inwardly. Struggles,
distress. But now, we may be allowed to
go for a while without that outward, you know, a lot of times it's
not necessarily an outward struggle, but that the inward struggles
of a believer. You struggle with everything.
You struggle with your feelings of inadequacy, unfaithfulness,
thoughts of unfaithfulness that you just can't get away from. Paul said concerning those inward
struggles, I see another law in my members. warning against
the law of my mind, bringing me into captivity to the law
of sin which is in my members. So a believer, they groan concerning
those struggles that go on within, the doubts that they have. Doubts that we have, and we're
ashamed. That's what the Lord asked His
apostles. Wherein did you doubt? Why'd
you doubt? But do we not? Fears? Fears. And we have absolutely
no reason to fear. We have none. Fear not. I'm with
you. Did He not say, I will never
leave you? I quote that all the time. That's
because I always have it on my mind. I always need to hear it
again. I'm not going to leave you. I'm
not going to forsake you. Feelings of guilt, shame, my
own lack of inadequacies. Someone say, yeah, but we're
just sinners. But we never use that as an excuse.
We struggle. We just struggle. And I'm telling
you, for a believer, these are truly battles. They're battles,
wars. But in the midst of these troubled
trials, Here's my first point. We all have need. We have need. Here's my second point. We have one who is our security. Christ is our security. A believer, though tried, outwardly
Yes, but I'm telling you, listen, do you know the outward trials
don't nearly bother me like my inward ones do? I mean, somebody can, you know,
be upset because of something I said from these scriptures,
and I understand, they're an unbeliever, but oh, right here,
this is where it bothers me. This is where it gets me. We
have a Lord, a Lord in heaven, the Lord God of heaven, And He
has promised to bear our burden, casting all your care upon Him. I want to do that. I want to. And I know, I know He hears. I know He does. I know He does. Casting all your care. He cares
for you. Turn to Hebrews. Hebrews chapter
6. We have, we have, one who is
our security. Look at Hebrews chapter 6 verse
17 to 20. Hebrews 6. Wherein God, willing more abundantly
to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability, the unchangingness
of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath that by two immutable
things in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have
a strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon
the hope set before us, which hope we have as a not, I love
these next few words, which hope we have as an anchor of the soul. both sure and steadfast in which
endureth into that within the veil, whether the forerunner
is for us entered even Jesus made in high priest forever after
the order of Melchizedek. Here the Lord says by two immutable
things, two unchanging things, we have an anchor of our soul. What are those two things? Number
one is word of promise. He had his promise. That's what
he said. God willing more abundantly to show under the airs of promise. I give you my word. This is my
word. So we got his word of promise
and he bound it by an oath. I will be faithful to that promise. I can tell you this, I can promise
you anything. I can promise you the moon, but I can promise you this, I
can't be faithful to accomplish it. But almighty God, the scriptures
set forth that His promise and His faithfulness to His promise
is that anchor for our soul. We can rest upon His word. He said, I promise. I'll save my people from their
sins. And he's faithful. Faithful. It is impossible for God to lie. That's what he said in Malachi
3.6. I am the Lord. I change not. Therefore, you
sons of Jacob. I tell you, that's a badge that
every believer just will wear and he'll wear it with honor. What's your name? My name's Jacob.
That's what I am. I'm a Jacob. But the Lord said,
you're Israel. In me, I know what I am. That's
where my struggles are coming from. I know I'm a trickster. I know I'm a supplanter. I know
I am. Paul said, I see in me there
dwelleth no good thing. In my flesh, I know it. But God
Almighty, In Christ, he said, you're a Jacob, an Israel, a
prince with God. Almighty God has promised, and
he's faithful to his promise. We preach the gospel, and that
gospel is glad tidings to helpless sinners, those who know what
they are in themselves, and it reveals To them, that gospel,
it reveals to them that they have absolutely nothing in them
to entitle them to the favor of Almighty God. For Him to show
compassion to them. They don't deserve that, but
He said, I promise. A word of promise. And He's faithful
to that promise. And here's what He's promised.
For all those everlastingly loved, in Christ. This is what He promised.
To all those that by the grace of God has been made according
to the power of Almighty God to cast themselves upon Christ,
for all those who find no confidence in themselves, for all those
who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, now listen to this, according
to His promise and His faithfulness, it is impossible for the heirs
of promise to perish. It's impossible. It's impossible. The Spirit of God has revealed
through the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, I give unto them
eternal life. Now I know I have need. I can
see. I see in me. I see the inadequacies
in me. I feel the workings of the presence
of sin. I know it's there. It grieves
me. I find myself, I'll just be honest
with you, many times discouraged. Many times. Not because of anything
but me. Me. How is it that I can stand
in a pulpit and proclaim the unsearchable riches of the glory
of God in the face of the Lord Jesus Christ and see myself as
so inadequate? That's not hard for me to see.
I can see that. But here's what he's promised.
I give unto them eternal life. I am in need, but I've got a
security. an anchor of my soul, and here's His word, I give unto
them eternal life, and they shall never perish. That's a wonderful
word, never. Never. Never perish. Neither shall any man pluck them
out of my hand. That's His promise, and He's
faithful to His promise. They shall never perish. So Paul writes in Hebrews 6,
19, that hope we have as an anchor
of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that
within the veil. We have hope. We have some confidence. We have assurance in God's word. You know, I think about that
anchor. You know, a ship. He drops anchor. Now if he's out there in the
middle of the ocean, there's no need to drop an anchor. It
ain't going to touch the bottom anyway, so he just floats. He
just floats. But if he's getting a little
bit closer to shore, and there's a possibility he could be run
aground or something, he'll drop anchor. And it may just go out
and he'll just kind of, you know, that anchor will hold on. But
I'm going to tell you something. A ship anchor, they're big, but
they can fail. They can fail. They can not grab
like they can, but I'll tell you this. We have an anchor of
our soul that never fails. He is absolutely faithful. He never forsake, never leaves. He is the anchor on which a needy
sinner can find some rest and some security. Oh, I tell you, we do admit.
our fears, but how thankful we are that we have one, that we
can say as Paul, I know whom I have believed. I know. And
I'm persuaded that he's able to keep that which I've committed
unto him against that day. I know who. You know, the only
way that a person can have any confidence is to know the one
in whom they have confidence. If I don't know Him, I don't
know. Paul says, I know whom I have believed. I know. Who
is He? He's God. He's God Almighty. God in the flesh. And I know
this. The Scriptures has taught us
what He's done. For us, His people. I know this. I know that He's come into this
world, and He's lived before God, before God's law, and He's
honored the law, and God has admitted openly before all men,
this is my beloved Son whom I'm well pleased. And He's earned
as a man, we've said so many times, He's earned as a man the
righteousness of God. Righteousness that God accepts.
as the man, Christ Jesus, made in the likeness of our flesh.
And He walked before God and earned righteousness and charged
it with us, those that believe Him. And we have the robe of
Christ's righteousness on us. And all of the feelings of inadequacy
that I have, and I got them, I got them. But according to
His Word, according to Your Word, Lord,
You said that I who believe You, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,
not myself, no confidence in me, but in You, that You've robed
me in Your righteousness. I don't see it. I don't see it,
but I believe it. I believe it. I believe He's
earned. That righteousness in His clothed
me. Everyone that believes in that
righteousness. And I honestly, I believe, I
believe He was made sin. And I believe He put away the
guilt. I believe He bore the sins in
His own body. He was made that. And He put
them away. He put away that debt. God spewed
out His wrath upon Him and God killed Him. God killed him. God forsook him. Forsook him. And that guilt is gone. It's
gone. Presence, yes. Guilt, no. Gone. I believe right now, I believe
he's seated at the right hand of the majesty on high. Sit there
at my right hand until I make all of your enemies your footstool.
I believe He's right there. I believe He's here with us tonight.
I believe He dwells in His people by faith. You say, can you prove
that? This Word says it. That's all
the proof I need. The Lord promised. And He's faithful
to His promise. Let me ask you this, you that
believe. What else do you have? What else do you have? Almighty
God has taught us of Himself. I know whom I have believed,
and I'm persuaded. Now, I'm a needy sinner, and I have one who is my security. Now, what am I going to do? Number three, turn back to where
we just read, Psalms 135. Psalm 135. There's times that I have to
go yearly for annual checkups. And when I do go and have to
be checked, I'll have to go for the rest of my life. And every
time I go and get checked, I want to go. I've told you this. I
want to go and I don't want to go. You know how that is. And whenever a doctor tells you,
Everything looks great. First thing out of my mouth,
ask my wife. I don't know how to be thankful.
I don't know how to be. I want to be. I want to be. I
don't know how to be thankful for what the Lord has done for
me. I don't know how. I want to be thankful. I'm not
thankful as I ought, but I am thankful. I said I'm a needy
sinner. One who is taught by the word
of God that I've got an anchor of my soul. One who saves sinners. That's good news. And here's
what I want to do. I want to acknowledge, as best
I know how, my thankfulness to Him. Psalm 135 says this. Praise ye the Lord. Now before
I go any farther, I'm just going to touch on the first four verses
and I'm going to stop. Praise ye the Lord. Now, what
we need right here is an interpretation of the word praise. If we're left to the interpretation
of what the world puts forth as the meaning of that word praise,
What we're going to think immediately, this is what you think. Give adoration, be... You know what I'm trying to say.
Just praise. The word praise set forth means
shine a light. Shine a light. Boast or make
clear. shine a light, boast, or make
clear. Praise ye the Lord. Hallelujah
is the Hebrew word. Hallelujah. Praise ye the Lord. Here's what it means. We praise
the Lord when we shine a light, boast, or make clear to our hearers
what God has to say about Himself. That is praising the Lord. People
will think, well, it's lifting up your hands and throwing your
head back. I've told you this before. Close your eyes and sway. No. Tell the truth about God. Make it clear. Make people understand
what you're saying. We praise the Lord when we preach
clearly, distinctly, Him in light of these scriptures. Whenever
the gospel is preached, the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, we
praise the Lord. That is, we shine a light. Praise
ye the Lord. Praise Jehovah. Tell the truth
about the Father. Tell them who the Father is.
The electing God. Tell the truth who the Lord Jesus
Christ is. The redeeming God. The husband of the sheep, His
elect. Praise, tell the truth about
it. Shine a light about the Spirit
of God. The regenerating God. who blows like the wind and regenerates
in power. Tell the truth about, praise
the Lord. Praise ye the name of the Lord,
the character. Tell the truth about. the character
of Almighty God. Who is He? I am that I am. He's the sovereign God who rules
in heaven and earth. I'm telling you, no place is
the Lord ever praised except where the gospel of God's free
grace is preached. Because nobody's telling the
truth. Whenever a lie is told on the
Lord, they can call it whatever they want to. The Scripture says,
praise is to shine a light, be clear about, and boast upon. Praise ye the name of the Lord.
Praise Him for all of His character. Who is He? He's great. I am the great God. No God like unto Me. His compassion
is long-suffering. There's no end to it. throughout
the scriptures, whenever the character, the name of the Lord,
and we're honest about Him, we preach Him, and we magnify, make
clear what's being said about Him. That's praise. Praise Him,
scripture says, all you servants of the Lord. You know what the
psalmist just said? You make it clear that God Almighty
makes men and women bond slaves, willing servants. Praise Him,
O ye servants. Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ. What did that say? Paul was setting
forth that the Lord did something for me that I couldn't do for
myself. He gave me a heart to bow to Him. I want to serve Him. I want to be obedient. I want
to follow Him. Lord, I want to do like Saul
of Tarsus when he first stopped on the road to Emmaus. Lord,
what would you have me to do? What do you want me to do? Lord,
you lead and guide and direct me. Lord, praise Him, you servants. The only servants of the Lord
are the regenerated sinners that's been made so by the grace of
God, willing to serve Him joyfully, the joy of the Lord. That's our
strength. Verse 2, ye that stand in the
house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God, you
who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house
of our God. What are you saying? What are
you being honest about right there? God's got some people
He's adopted. He is the adopting God. He's adopted some sons and some
daughters of the Most High God. Who are they? They're heirs of
God. You that stand in the house, not just stand in here standing,
but by faith. Stand by faith in Him. God gives faith. Why? Because
all men have not faith. Just be honest about it. Just
be honest about what we praise Him when we tell the truth about
Him. You that stand in the house of
the Lord, here in this present time, in the midst of the assembly
of the beloved, and in glory, be honest about what God has
to say. God has made some men heirs,
heirs of God, joint heirs with Christ. and their servants, their
sons, adopted of God. Servants of the Lord. And they
love it. They love that. Privileged to
find their place, not only now, but in promise. Then in glory. Verse 3. Praise the Lord. For
the Lord is good. Now, I tell you what. There's
none good but God. There's none good but God. Now
when men say there's a little good in all men, that's a lie.
Because there's none good but God. And everything that God
does is good because God is good. God is good. God is good. When He made this world, when
He created this world, what did He say when He looked at it?
And the Lord said it was good. It was good. He made man very
good. It was good. Moses asked him,
he said, show me your glory. He said, I'm going to call all
my goodness to pass before you. This is all of my goodness. I'm
a merciful and gracious God. I have mercy, compassion on whomsoever
I will. God chooses. When we tell people
that and we're honest with men about God has mercy on whomsoever,
we praise the Lord. We shine a light and set forth
His glory. Praise ye the Lord, for the Lord
is good. Sing praises unto His name, for
it is pleasant. We sang praises a few minutes
ago. We were singing that song. Those
songs of Zion. And you're singing what you believe
in your heart. And even in our songs, we don't
sing a song that dishonors our God. I don't want to sing them. We don't want to sing something
that's a lie. You may like the tune. It don't matter. We sing
praises. We sing truthfulness. It's what
we do. Unto His name, unto His character. Wow, that's pleasant for a believer. I love to do, we love to sing
that heart rejoicing with the songs of truthfulness that's
consistent with the gospel. That's what we do. Singing of
praises unto Him is worship. We worship. We adore and thank
Him. We praise the Lord. And verse
4. that chosen Jacob unto himself
and Israel for his peculiar treasure. We praise the Lord again when
we tell men, number one, what they are in themselves. They're
Jacobs. They're Jacobs. That's all men
by nature. Jacobs. And we tell them that
God's made them Israels in Christ. He's made them a prince with
God, and they are His singular, peculiar treasure. You're mine. I chose you. I chose you because
I would. I chose you because I loved you.
I loved you because I chose to love you. There was nothing in
any of us. Oh, how we praise and thank the
Lord for election. If the Lord hadn't chosen a people
unto himself, we've said so many times, quoting that scripture,
we'd all been like Sodom and Gomorrah. We praise and bless. I tell you, if a man or woman
ever had a reason to sing praises unto the Lord God of heaven,
it is that God has chosen to show him mercy. You remember
when the 70, were sent out and the Lord sent them out to go
into the cities where He was going to come. They came back
and He told them, well He told them, He said, you go out and
tell them that the kingdom of heaven is coming to you. And
they came back and they were rejoicing and they said, even
the devils are subject unto us in your name. And the Lord told
them this, He said, rejoice not that the spirits are subject
unto you. But rather rejoice because your
names are written in heaven. Isn't that a beautiful passage?
You rejoice, you praise, you be honest with men about who
God is. You praise His holy name because
God has written your name in heaven. Not because of anything
worthy that was in you, but because He chose to do so. I am a needy
sinner, and I know that's what I am, but I have an anchor of
my soul And it is Christ Jesus, my Lord. And I want to thank
Him. I want to thank Him and I want
to praise Him and bless Him. How am I going to do that? I
can't work up that feeling that people are talking about praise.
I mean, there are times when I have, and I know this has happened
to you too, there's times I've told you before, I'll read something
that just grips my heart and I'm just so thankful and joyful.
Brought to tears of thankfulness for what I've just read in the
thanksgiving. But praise, that feeling that
I had for a moment, I mean it just happens and it just seems
like it's gone. But that praise, I tell you when we praise God
is when we're honest with men about who He is. We're honest
with Him. Be honest with them about who, that's praise. Shine
a light, boast, lift him up, declare him as he is. That's praise. I can tell you
this, I can praise him. I can tell men what he's taught
me about himself. I pray the Lord bless this dear
heart, my heart, for Christ's sake. Amen.