I want you to take your Bibles,
turn with me to the book of Zechariah. Now, find Malachi, the last book
of the Old Testament, and go back towards the front, one book,
Zechariah. Zechariah chapter 1. Before we begin this morning,
I would like to ask our Lord's blessing. Our Father, how thankful we are
this morning for the blessed privilege to be able to call
upon You and to thank You for this time that we can assemble
ourselves together. Lord, I ask You to bless Your
Word to the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ and the good and
comfort and salvation of Your people. Thank You, Father, for
Christ's sake. Amen. I want to look at Zechariah,
the first chapter, and I'm going to preach it in two messages.
This one now, and Lord willing, the one right after the little
break. Let me just enable you to get a foundation
of what is actually going on. In this first chapter, I want
you to imagine 230 something years ago, when the
United States was brought into being, when the Lord established
this country. And men came together and we
had a declaration of independence, and they set down the Constitution,
and there was the way in which this country would be run. Now, you know and I know that
Almighty God raised up this country as He does any country. He raises up, He puts down. But
He raises up countries for one purpose, for the glory of His
blessed Son, for the good of His people, for the calling out
of His elect. was established. And I realize,
if you look back and you could probably say that, well, this
one or this one, there's some men that I look back on, men
and women that obviously were true believers. And the Lord
blessed and He raised up a country, but within this country, was
God's people. And not all, I know this, not
all religious people are God's people. I know that. But the
Lord raises up His people in the midst of this world. They're
in this world, they're not of this world. And while this country
was brought up And there were true believers within the vast
population of this country. In time, things as they always
do, deteriorate. They go down, they go down. The
more and more you look, you see disrespect. Things that are done
today, disrespectful things. that you would have not seen.
I'm not saying that the nature wasn't there, but the restraining
grace of God held it down. And now you look around and you
see and hear things that you just, oh! That's the setting of Zechariah
1. God raised up the nation of Israel,
but they were not all spiritual Israel. that were within Israel. And as time progressed, things
happened, we'll look at it in a minute, with the fathers. Those
that truly did not know God, those that did not know God,
but professed to know God, professed to know Him, but disrespectful
things that would be done. But in the midst of these disrespectful
things, In the midst of it, there were God's people there. They
were not in agreement with it. I'm not saying that. But they
were in the world. They were there. And had to bear
the consequences of what God did for the disrespect of those
that didn't know Him. Believers had to go through the
same trials. They had to suffer. God's people
are in this world. And because of God's judgment
of the disrespect that's shown Him, God's people are still in
the midst of it. Not in agreement, but in the
midst. But in the midst of what's going on in this world. Almighty
God still takes care of His people. And He's going to let them know.
He's going to send comfort to them. And He's going to speak
to them. And they're going to know that
what's going on Almighty God rules and reigns. Now, with that
in mind, let's look at Zechariah 1. I've entitled this message,
and it's in two parts, Four Horns and Four Carpenters. Now, the
nation of Israel is in bondage to the nation of Babylon. And the reason that they're in
bondage to the nation of Babylon is because of the rebellion that
they have shown before God Almighty. Unfaithfulness. But the Lord,
in His everlasting mercy to His chosen people, to His elect,
He sends a prophet. And He's going to send a prophet
as he always does for the comfort, for the assurance of his people. Verse 1 says, In the eighth month,
in the second year of Darius, came the word of the Lord unto
Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, the prophet. saying, Zechariah, God sent a
prophet. Zechariah was his name. Zechariah
means the Lord remembers. The Lord remembers. Almighty
God remembers. Mercy. To those that He has everlastingly
loved, He remembers. He ever remembers that covenant
of grace made with Himself eternal. He ever remembers for the sake
of His blessed Son, for the sake of His mercy and compassion that
He's shown to those that He's eternally loved and given to
His Son. Psalm 136.23 says, "...who remembered
us in our lowest state, for His
mercy endureth forever. He remembers. He remembers mercy. And I'll tell you this, He remembers
to never remember their sins against Him. He remembers. He remembers. He says, for I
will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins and their iniquities
will I remember no more. God remembers. Here's Israel. The nation of Israel. They've
rebelled against God. God put them in bondage. Put
them in bondage to Nebuchadnezzar. They're in Babylon. And in the
midst of that whole nation, Within that nation, God has a people. And they're there. And God knows
who they are. And the Lord remembers. Now according
to His mercy, through the prophet Zechariah, He calls to remembrance
to His people. He's telling them why they're
there. This is the reason why you're
here. Verse 2. The Lord hath been sore
displeased with your fathers. God has been displeased with
your fathers, with their ancestors. Disrespectful. Let me read to
you, if you want to turn to 2 Chronicles 30. Let me tell you why. This is what happened. 2 Chronicles
36. I said 30. I meant 36. 2 Chronicles 36.
I'm going to read verses 14 to 16. This is what happened. 2 Chronicles 36. Verse
14, Moreover, all the chief of the priest And the people transgressed very
much after all the abominations of the heathen, and polluted
the house of the Lord which he had hallowed in Jerusalem. And
the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers,
rising up betimes and sending because he had compassion on
his people and on his dwelling place. But they mocked the messengers
of God and despised His words and misused His prophets until
the wrath of the Lord arose against the people until there was no
remedy. God Almighty sent them preachers, prophets, and they
just wouldn't hear. They despised God, despised His
Word, and there was no remedy. God put them in bondage. Sent
the nation of Babylon. and caused to go into that state
of bondage, captivity. That's what he said. Verse 2,
"...the Lord hath been sore displeased with your fathers." Verse 3,
"...therefore, say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord of
hosts, Turn ye unto me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will
turn unto you, saith the Lord of hosts." By faith, come to
Me, call on Me, turn to Me, and I will turn unto you, saith the
Lord of hosts." Now, I know, and you know, that the Lord does
not wait for His people to act first before He's going to show
mercy. What He's actually saying is
this, return unto Me, And then you will know that I have been
merciful unto you. I have turned unto you. You come
to me and you'll know that I have shown compassion unto you. Then he warns. And here is the
mercy of God. He warns the captives not to
persist in their rebellion. Look at verse 4. Be ye not as
your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying,
Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Turn ye now from your evil ways
and from your evil doings. But they did not hear, nor hearken
unto me, saith the Lord." You know, we ought to learn. We ought
to learn. We ought to learn from the past.
We ought to look in the Scriptures and see what happens because
of disrespect before God. Because of disrespect to His
Word. Because of disrespect to His
preachers. Because of disrespect to His
people. To His gospel. We ought to learn,
but we don't regard the Word of the Lord. Ask for forgiveness. Confess what we are by nature.
Seek Him for guidance, instruction. Listen to David, Psalm 19, 13.
Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins. Let them not
have dominion over me. Then shall I be upright, and
I shall be innocent from the great transgression. You know
what the great transgression is? Unbelief. The great, you
want to know what the unpardonable sin is? Unbelief. Unbelief. Unbelief. Oh, Lord, help us. Help us. Here's the warning. Don't be
like your fathers. Call on me. But you know, unless
Almighty God gives a man a new heart, he's not going to call.
He's not going to come. He's not going to turn. But does
that leave him without excuse? No. You know why God's going
to put men and women in hell? It's because they would not come.
They would not turn. Here's the Lord in mercy. He's not silent to His people. Lord, why? Why do we see such
disarray? Why do we see such disrespect?
I'm so displeased. Therefore, says the Lord, turn
unto Me. Come unto Me. I'll turn to you. Don't be as your fathers, under
whom the prophets cried, saying, Thus saith the Lord, turn ye
from your evil ways, from your evil doings. But they wouldn't
hear. Wouldn't listen? I think about
the mercy of Almighty God to this country to sin preachers. Preachers. I think about Brother
Scott. It would embarrass him to death if he would hear me
say that. Brother Henry. These faithful, faithful men
that preached and preached. God Almighty called them out
of darkness. and set forth His glorious gospel of free grace.
And man by nature said, I've got... I'm just a little bit
too busy. I don't have time for this mess.
I've got stuff to do. Verse 5, Your fathers, where
are they? And the prophets, do they live
forever? Your fathers that disobeyed Me,
where are they now? Where are they now? The prophets
that faithfully preached, they died too. God's people and people
that are not God's people, they all died. Those that preached
and those that heard the preaching, Where are they? Where are they? I can tell you this, they're
somewhere. You say, well, they're gone. Well, they may be gone
from the face of this earth. We may not look at them physically,
but I can tell you this, they're somewhere. When men die, that's
not the end of their existence. That's not the end. Oh no. They're in eternity. They're
either in hell or they're with the Lord. They're either in the
bosom of Abraham or they're in torment. They all died. They left this place. Here's
the Lord in mercy, bringing to remembrance. Listen to what I'm
saying. Those that were disrespectful.
Those that would not come. Those that would not hear. Those
that died in unbelief. Where are they? Think about this. Where are they? God's people know. They know
that this is not the end. They know. But my words. Verse 6. My words. Here's the thing. Believers and
unbelievers, they're going to die. And they're going to leave
this world physically. They're not going to endure as
they've always done. But God's Word is not going to
change. God's Word endures forever. But my words and my statutes,
which I commanded my servants, the prophets, did they not take
hold of your fathers? The Lord is asking, did my Word
not return to me accomplishing exactly what I sent it? Did it
accomplish the purpose? Did it accomplish what my will
is? Did I not do what I said I would
do? The Word of the Lord was fruitful. to the fathers that rebelled
against God, and they were made to experience what they would
not believe. The Scripture says in that latter
part of verse 6, And they returned and said, Like as the Lord of
hosts ought to do unto us according to our ways, according to our
doings, so hath he dealt with us. God's people Just as men outwardly shall do
too, but God's people in heart, they truly do realize when Almighty
God exercises His judgment, He's doing just exactly what
He said He was going to do. And you know, it's sad to say,
but we're all like men caught in a crime. You know when men
are sorry? You ever notice every time somebody's
sorry, every time they're caught, that's when they get sorry. Before
they were caught, were they? They were getting away with it.
But Almighty God put the whole nation in bondage, and God's
people in the midst of that whole nation. There's some of God's
people in there. And God's people, they're going
to say, you know what? We're getting just exactly. what
we deserve. We are getting just exactly what
God said He was going to do. God Almighty has dealt with us
according to His Word, and we have absolutely nobody to blame
but ourselves. Nobody. The Lord put them in
Babylon, and they were made to confess. Almighty God is righteous. Let me read something to you
out of Daniel 9. Daniel 9. I'd like to read verses
11 to 15. This is whenever God's people. Now, for an unbeliever, they
don't even remotely. They don't see. They don't care.
They think God is unfair. They think God's being unjust.
But a believer, when God draws him, causes him to bow, you know
what they're going to do? They're going to say, Lord, you're
right. You're right. You're right. Whatever Almighty
God is pleased to do to this sinner, sinner saved by the grace
of God, he's right. Lord, as You've done, You've
done. That which is just, right, holy. Listen to Daniel 9, verses 11-15. Yea, all Israel. have transgressed thy law, even
by departing, that they might not obey thy voice. Therefore,
the curse is poured upon us. And the oath that is written
in the law of Moses, the servant of God, because we have sinned
against him. And he hath confirmed his words which he spake against
us, against our judges, that judged us by bringing upon us
a great evil. For unto the whole heaven hath
not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem. As it is written
in the Law of Moses, all this evil has come upon us, yet made
we not our prayer before the Lord our God that we might turn
from our iniquities and understand thy truth. Therefore, hath the
Lord watched upon the evil and brought it upon us, for the Lord
our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth, but we
obeyed not his voice. And now, O Lord our God, that
has brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with
a mighty hand, and has gotten thee renowned, as at this day
we have sinned and we have done wickedly." Let me ask you this,
you that know it. Do you not enter in to exactly
what is being said right here? Lord, I know in me, I know that
in my flesh there dwells no good thing. Lord, by Your mercy, by
Your grace, by Your compassion, Lord, You've dealt well with
me. Lord, You have afflicted me.
And it's good, it's good that I've been afflicted, that I might
learn thy statutes. Lord, You have been so kind and
so merciful. An unbeliever will listen to
a believer say that and say, are you telling me in the midst
of what you're going through? In the midst of these problems
in each other. When a believer will say, you
talk about these light afflictions, which are but for a moment. My
God, my Lord, my King, my Savior, He dealt well with me. I'm getting
just exactly what I deserve. But He's doing it in kindness,
mercy, as a loving Father. has to discipline his children.
The Lord chastens His own. But as our parents disciplined
us, then assured us of their love for us, the Lord does too. The Lord in His kindness and
compassion. Now there's a backdrop. There's where we are. There's
where every believer knows. He is. Almighty God has put me
through what I deserve. And He's done it to bring me
to Himself. He's done it to cause me to cast
myself upon His mercy. If He didn't do it, I know what
I'd do. Everything fine. Everything good.
All but when the blessing of adversity crosses the path of
a believer, he remembers. Lord, have mercy on me. Forgive
me. Forgive me. Now, I want you to
listen. I know that this was written
hundreds of years ago, but what we're talking about is today.
This is today. And here is the word of the Lord
to God's people today, who is in this world, not of it, admitting,
Lord, you've done right. Lord, what you send to chasten
us, Lord, what you're sending us is exactly what we deserve. Yes, sir. You're right. You're
right. In admitting, Lord, that I know
you're right. Lord, do you have a word of comfort
for me? This is what God's preachers are commanded to do. Now, you
comfort God's people. You comfort them. Now, I want
you to listen to these words of comfort. Here's God Almighty
telling His people, this is why you're going through what you're
going through. This is why you are. Now, listen to the words
of comfort. Here's the first word of comfort.
The Lord is in our midst. Verses 7 and 8 says this, Now,
upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which
is the month Sebat, in the second year of Darius, Came the word
of the Lord unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of
Iddo the prophet." Before I read that 8th verse, I think about
this. God spoke the first time in verse
1 in the 8th month. And then in the 7th verse, He
spoke again in the 11th month. Somewhere in that 2 1�2 or 3
months period. For Almighty God gave His people
time to think about it. He told them why they were there.
He told them what He was doing. Told them why He did it. Three
months later, He spoke to them again. Truly it was good that
God afflicted them. Gave them time to think about
it. And now the Lord is going to speak to them In Comfort,
verse 8, the prophet says, I saw by night, and behold, a man riding
upon a red horse, and he stood upon the myrtle trees that were
in the bottom, and behind him were there red horses speckled
and white. Now here's the prophet, and he's
got a word from God. He's not speaking of himself.
The Scripture says, verse 7, in that eleventh month, the Word
of the Lord came to Zechariah. God spoke to him. And all Zechariah
is doing is saying what God had said. He saw a man riding upon
a red horse and he stood among the myrtle trees that were in
the bottom. Now here is no other. None other, can be none other
than the Lord of glory in the midst of His people. Where is
He? Well, the Scripture says by night. When symbolically here, people
don't see. The world didn't see this. It
was night, dark. Do you think the world knows
Really, what's going on? Do you think this world knows
what's going on in this world right now? Do you think that
the world considers that this world is being sustained for
one reason? For the good of God's sheep,
the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, the salvation of His elect. That's
the only reason we're still here. God has a people. He's going
to call them out. But in the midst of what's going
on, where is he? A man riding upon a red horse,
stood in the myrtle trees. There's shrubs, little evergreens. Where were they? Down in the
bottom, unobserved by the world. Down there, just a little group
Brushed down there. Evergreen. Always green. Ever evident of life. Evergreen. But there's the man on the red
horse. And where is he? He's down there
with those myrtle trees. His people. His bride. His elect. Standing where the
world has no earthly idea. Don't be surprised that the world
doesn't know. Our Lord and Savior came unto
His own, and His own received Him not. They didn't know Him. But in the midst of this grove
of myrtle trees, these little evergreens, there was a man,
the man Christ Jesus, upon His red horse. Now, the Spirit spoke
of One upon the red horse, it was in Revelation 6.4, I'll read
this to you. It says, And there went out another
horse that was red, and power was given to him that set thereon
to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one
another. And there was given unto him a great sword. Now according
to the description given in the book of Revelation, that red
horse is a picture Slaughter, conquering, but also a protector. One that conquers his people
and keeps them in this world. A victor. The Lord said, I didn't
come into this world to bring peace, but a sword. And here
he is in the midst in association with His people, the slaughterer,
the conqueror. Romans 8.36 says, concerning
us, for thy sake, we are killed all the day long and we are accounted
as sheep for the slaughter. Here we are in this world, despised
and hated of men, and our Lord is made like unto us. Associated. Our great High Priest. But here
He is, our hedge and our haven. Here we are in this world. And
Almighty God, because of the disrespect and rebellion of men
that will not hear, Almighty God has sent judgment. But oh, how tempered that judgment
is right now for the sake of His elect. How kind He is. I want to just read something.
I had a verse of Scripture. Let me just read this to you.
Jeremiah 10. I wrote this in the bulletin
this morning. Now listen to the words of a believer. Jeremiah
10.23, O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself.
It's not in man that walketh to direct his ways. Listen to
verse 24. And this is what a believer wants.
O Lord, correct me, but with judgment. Not in thine anger,
lest thou bring me to nothing. Lord, I need. I need corrected. Lord, I need
to be brought to myself. Lord, correct me. But Lord, do
it. in judgment. Lord, temper your
strokes, I ask you. Lord, have mercy on me when you
correct me. Lord, remember your mercy when
you deal with me. Lord, I need to know where the
lines are. I want to know where the lines
are. I want God to deal with me correctly. And correcting me is what I meant
to say. Lord, correct me, but help me. There was a man on a
red horse. associating himself, man of war,
conquering. You know, the world, our Lord
said, hated him before it hated us. And here he is in the midst
of his people, those little myrtle trees comforting us, teaching
us that while we're going to suffer much tribulation, he said,
I'm not going to leave you. I'm not going to forsake you.
Oh, in the midst of what's going on in this world, how comforting
it is to know that He's here. He's here. He's with us. He knows. Here's that red horse. Picture of slaughter, but I'll
tell you what else I'm reminded of. Redemption. Blood. His death. I know that men, evil
men, were God's means by which the Lord of glory was crucified.
I know that. God used them. But it was in
God's everlasting compassion and mercy that Christ laid down
His life. The blood of His atonement. Here's
a horse that sets forth, that red horse that sets forth His
association with us in the sufferings that we suffer. He suffered.
laid down his life, sufferings, made sin. Oh, the comfort of knowing that
He has put away our guilt, our debt to His law, and His blood
covers us. But He has not left us. Secondly, for our comfort and
assurance, the Lord is going to feed His people with knowledge
and understanding of Himself. The latter part of verse 8. Can
you just imagine? Here's Israel. Here they are
in Babylon. Here they are just placed there
by the good pleasure of God because God was displeased with those
that resented Him. And here's God's people going
through suffering, suffering the consequences But here's the
Lord in mercy to them, telling them, I'm with you. I'm with
you. I'm in your midst. I'm not going
to leave you. But listen to this comfort too,
latter part of verse 8. And behind him were their red
horses, speckled and white. Then said I, O my Lord, what
are these? And the angel that talked with
me said unto me, I will show you what these be. And the man that stood among
the myrtle trees answered and said, These are they whom the
Lord has sent to walk to and fro through the earth. And they
answered the angel of the Lord that stood among the myrtle trees
and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth. And behold,
all the earth sitteth still and is at rest. Now, there's a lot
of speculation, and I do understand that, as to exactly who these
would be on this red speckled white horses. But I'll tell you,
for the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ and the comfort of His
people, I'll tell you who I believe they are. I believe that they're
God's preachers, God's pastors. Here's the Lord, and He said,
I'm in the midst of you. And we know that. We believe
that. In this place, right here, this
morning, where two or three are gathered together in My name,
I'm in the midst of you. Now we have that comfort. But
I'll tell you another comfort that we have. We can hear the
Word of God. We've assembled ourselves together
to hear God's Word. Jeremiah 3, 14, 15, Turn, O backsliding
children, saith the Lord. For I am married unto you, and
I will take you, one of a city, and two of a family, and I will
bring you to Zion, and I will give you pastors according to
mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding."
This is what he is saying. I am God. Sovereign. I've chosen you. I took one from
this family and two from here. And then I caused you to sit
and hear my gospel preached. I caused you. I kept you. I'll feed you. I'll sustain you. But why the
red horse, the speckled horse, the white horse? I believe it
sets forth the character of those preachers that God sends. Read. Number one, their association
in suffering with Him who stood in the midst of the myrtle trees.
War and slaughter by nature. Men by nature. They hate God's
Word. And therefore, those that preach
it are despised. Just as our Lord was despised. The Scripture says in 2 Timothy
3.2, and there's that red horse. Here's the promise of Almighty
God. Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer
persecution. Here is set forth in red by experience
in this world, tribulation, resentment. Let me ask you, you that know
Him, think in yourself. And I know that preachers are
easier targets. I understand that. I know that. I think about and I mentioned,
Brother Scott, before, you think of the disrespect that was shown
to that man in this community. Because of what he preached.
Because of what he stood for. Because of the God he loved and
the God he proclaimed. All God's preachers are like
that. But all God's sheep are like that. Every one of us. We're all like that. Disrespect
that is shown to God's people. The sufferings and the hurt.
Words that tongue, that cuts. Men, women that accuse you. Well,
you just think you're just the only one. That God you're preaching, the
One that doesn't give everybody a chance. So disrespectful. Slaughter. But not only were
they riding on red horses, they rode on speckled horses. It meant
bay. I think in the margin it may
say bay. It does. Bay. Speckled. Bay. Spotted. Mixed. Mixed. And here we see
what they are as being fallen in Adam. They know what they
are. But they're alive in Christ. There's two natures there. I
looked up, running that word down, and I came across this
word, and I hope I pronounce it correctly, it's P-I-E-B-A-L-D. Pibald? Pibald? It means mixed
blood. Mixed blood. Mixed. Two natures. Paul the Apostle described. Here's
the character. That red horse describes what
they suffer in this world. They know it. They know it. They
know that they're not of this world. They know they're hated
for the gospel's sake. They know they're going to suffer
persecution for Christ's sake. They know it. But they know what
they are in themselves too. They know what they are. The
Apostle Paul, Romans 7, verse 22-23. Here's Paul. He says, I delight, Romans 7,
verse 22, in the law of God after the inward man. But I see another
law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bring
me into captivity to the law of sin, which is in my members.
I know what I am. I feel the pain of it. I feel,
I experience it. There's a part of me that loves
God. And I do. I do. Lord, You know
I do. That's what He said to Peter.
Peter, you love Me. You feed My sheep. And Peter,
after He asked Him three times, Peter said, Lord, You know all
things. You know all things. You know I love you. You know
I do. And God's people do. They do love Him. And they see
that there's a part of them, that old man that's there that
is so disrespectful. And they say with Paul, old wretched
man that I am. They say with Job and Jeremiah,
I loathe myself. I know what I am. I stand before
you this morning, a man with two natures. One that sets forth
that which I know is so, the glory of Almighty God with a
heart that loves Him. And while I'm standing here,
struggling with myself, with an old nature that says, do you
really believe this? Do you really believe this? That
war is against the law of my mind. And I fight and struggle
and try to stand before God's people. and proclaim the unsearchable
riches of God's grace. And all the while, knowing that
in myself, that is in my flesh, there dwells no good thing. But
then they were also there on a white horse. And here is God's
people robed in the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Robes
that have been washed white in the blood of the Lamb. They know
that there's no condemnation in Him. They know that Almighty
God is going to change them. And as Job says with these eyes,
I'm going to see Him. I'm going to see Him. And I'm
going to be like Him by His grace. Hated by the world. Know what
they are in themselves. And they know who they are in
Christ. This is God's people. God's preachers. Servants of the living God. And
then just let's look at a couple of verses and we'll stop. Verse
9, Then said I, O my Lord, what are these? And the angel that
talked with me said unto me, I will show thee what these be.
And the man that stood among the myrtle trees answered and
said, These are they whom the Lord has sent. to walk to and
fro through the earth. And they answered the angel of
the Lord that stood among the myrtle trees and said, We have
walked to and fro through the earth, and behold, all the earth
sits still and is at rest. These are they that the Lord
has commissioned. You go into all the world. You
teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. And these obedient servants
and God's preachers, they are obedient. They know. They know they are hated. They
know what they are in themselves and they know who they are in
Christ as much as the Lord has given them light. And the message
that they preach, the message they come back with, the message
is that Almighty God is in control. That's what they say. These are
the ones that have been sent. Verse 10, "...walked to and fro
through the earth, and they answered the angel of the Lord that stood
among the myrtle trees." They said unto the Lord, we have walked
to and fro through the earth. "...And behold, all the earth
sitteth still." All the earth remains. That's what it means. It remains. I tell you this, not the world
of rebellion against God, but the world of God's elect. They're
secure. They sit still. They remain. They're kept through trials and
tribulations, persecutions. We know that we are more than
conquerors through Him that loved us by our Lord. is our victory. And we rest. This is their answer. Almighty
God has sent us. We go to and fro through the
earth. And behold, all the earth remains according to God's purpose,
kept until Almighty God has accomplished everything that He's going to
accomplish. And we rest in Him. He is our rest. He is our comfort. He is our peace. Lord, in the
midst of what we see going on around us, in the midst of the
disrespect that's shown to You, shown to Your people, Lord, how
comforting it is to know that You've not left us to ourselves.
Lord, that You're with us. Lord, that You're here. That
You live within us. And God, You've sent us Your
Word. You've sent preachers for the comfort of your people, for
the establishing of your saints. Lord, thank you, and thank you
for keeping your preachers. If it's left to them, they quit.
But God keeps His own. Lord, bless these words to our
heart for Christ's sake.