When Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from the fence. We know that our Lord never ran in fear when he was accosted by multitudes that were literally trying to kill him, that he passed through the midst of them. He could have done that again. But this time he chose to withdraw himself. He passed through the midst of them at times because his hour had not yet come, and he withdrew himself in our text because his hour had not yet come.

Those that followed him were healed. Isn't that an interesting situation there? It says the great multitudes followed him. He withdrew himself from tents and great multitudes followed him and he healed them. Those that followed him were healed. We see this all through the scripture. When those who followed him were hungry, he fed them. When they had no way to get bread and the hour was late, he fed them. When they had needs of any kind, he met them. They need to be taught and he taught them. They were as sheep having no shepherd.

And we know that all those that followed him in this sense were not believers of the Lord because some of those who he fed were, they followed him because of the miracle, because of the fish and loaves, and he knew that. It says that he knew what was in man. But we see the spiritual teaching in this, that when the Lord causes his sheep to follow him, it's because he intends to heal them. Follow the Lord Jesus Christ. He healed every one of them. Again, that's a picture of the spiritual healing that all of his followers received

He said my sheep hear my voice and they follow me and I give unto them Eternal life in our text the wording is they followed him and he In John 10 24 through 28 It says they follow me and I I Following the Lord sounds like a good idea, because He does what's needed. Of course, He draws us to Himself. Our great spiritual need is pictured in all of these maladies. We're not told what all of their diseases were here, just that they had diseases to be healed. But we know what our great spiritual need is, it's life. You hath he quickened which were dead, which were dead. And that's what we see also in that passage in John 10, 24 through 28. He said, I give unto them eternal life. They hear my voice, they follow me, and I give unto them eternal life. That's the spiritual version of what happened in our text. He healed every one of them. Every one of them, incredible.

Telling how many hundreds of diseased and crippled and deformed people, blind maybe and lame and carried. This passage of scripture from our text that's quoted is Isaiah 42, 1 through 4. And it's prophetic of our Lord's charge. in our text here that these should not make him known. You won't hear his voice crying in the streets. It's interesting and instructive that our Lord didn't often deal with great multitudes at all. Here it says He healed them all. But when our Lord preached the great beatitudes that He gave, There were more than just his disciples there, I imagine. But usually when he taught, he avoided crowds. And that was what Isaiah was talking about. You're not gonna hear, he's not gonna strive. He's not trying to be popular. He's not trying to be a big shot. He's not trying to get attention. He deliberately told them, don't tell anybody what happened here.

And if there's any way whatsoever that religion, man's religion, is not completely opposite of what our Lord taught, I wish you'd tell me what it is, because I can't think of a single, just the opposite. Religion wants the big crowds. They want everybody to know about them. You know, hand out these flyers, let's get on TV and let's let everybody know. And there's not anything wrong with some of that. But I'll tell you this, when it comes to the place where you're in the business of being known rather than in the business of preaching the gospel, something's lost there. Everything's lost there.

And our Lord teaches us here that it's not a numbers game. There is a fixed number. And religion's philosophy is if the multitude increases, we'll just build a bigger building and we'll be proud of that building and proud of the popularity of our ministry. But the multitudes thronging our Lord Jesus Christ became a hindrance unto him in the ministry. He's going to save every one of his elect. This world's not going to end until he does. Best I can tell, he's not in a hurry. I think that's what it's talking about when it says he shall not strive. He's not gonna be, you know, arguing with false religion and promoting his ministry. He just walked around doing good. He walked around healing people and then said, don't tell anybody about it. Doesn't that say something about what this ministry is?

It's not that we don't want people to come. I'd love to have these seats filled, but again, religion is in the business of numbers. And what do the numbers hear when they show up? There's no gospel for them. He's not trying to make himself famous, and he's still not. He would deliberately avoid multitudes at times in order to go where one or two sinners was, in order to save them that he meant to have mercy on.

Here's why, and here's what that means to us. He came to seek and to save his lost sheep. And he has his churches nowadays, and he's still directing it Look, he said, preach to everybody moving that will listen to you. Every creature, because we don't know who's a sheep and who's not until the Lord reveals that in whatever way he's pleased to do that. But he is no less in control of it. He raises up his ministry here and there. remote places usually, small groups. We've never in our generation, our lifetime, seen anybody preaching the gospel of Christ with a large number of people coming, particularly, comparatively.

But just like he did then, he sought, he would leave a multitude on purpose and go to where one Maniac, demon possessed maniac was and have mercy on his soul. He passed by a multitude of people at the pool of Bethesda and asked one man, will thou be made whole? That's his way and that's his way now. He knows how to bring his elect where they need to be to hear the gospel. And that's him finding them, not them finding him. He still does that.

Our Lord was not and is not here to court the praise and adoration of all men. He's despised and rejected of most, and that's by design. That wasn't a disappointment to God when people hated His Son. We've seen that He deliberately stirred them up. He went there on the Sabbath just to make them angry. He necessarily and deliberately did and said the things that made them despise him. And this is key because if we do and say the things that he's taught us to do, we're not setting out to make people mad. But if we do what he said for us to do, we're going to make people mad. I've experienced that, I suspect you have too.

Our Lord knew that the multitudes did not follow Him because of what He did and said, but because of the miracles. But He was here to do His Father's will, to accomplish redemption for His elect and to seek and to save that which was lost. Not trying to get people saved, but just saving them. That's what He still does. We don't get people saved, but the Lord saves them when the gospel is preached as he's pleased to do.

If it was a numbers game, then bring on the multitudes. You know, eventually, if the Lord hadn't kept avoiding them, the multitude would have grown and grown and he'd have had thousands of people as an audience. That's not what he sought. That was not part of his purpose.

It says in John 2.23, Now when the Lord was in Jerusalem at the Passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, and needed not that any should testify of man, for he knew what was in man.

Now today, how does that apply to us today? We don't know what's in men. We don't have the slightest idea. We know it's evil, because the Lord's revealed that. But I don't know what's in a man's heart or a woman's heart. I know what, generally speaking, is in us by nature, and what He does in us when He saves us, but I can't see people's hearts the way He can.

Our Lord could have given us that ability if he had wanted to. But here's what he did instead. He sent us and said unto us, go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. But he that believeth not shall be damned.

The Holy Spirit did forbid the apostles to go to certain places at times, that's clear in scripture. He forbade them to go where they intended to go and sent them somewhere else at times. The book of Acts, we read of that and he still does that. He still hinders and he opens doors and he shuts them. He sends his preachers where his people are and he brings his people to where his preachers are.

God sent Paul to Corinth and said, don't be afraid. Paul said, I don't know what's going to happen where I'm headed, but I know it ain't going to be good. There's going to be trouble. I know that much because the Holy Spirit testifies that that's the way it's going to be. But the Lord said, go here, go to Corinth, and don't be afraid, but speak and hold not thy peace. For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee. For I have much people in this city."

You see how that works? Don't be afraid. I'm with you. I'm with you when you say what you're going to say. I'm with you when the people respond to what you say. That'll be the Lord directing the hearts of men as the rivers of water. I'm with you that you might preach in power, that you might preach with boldness as he asked the church members to pray for him that he would preach boldly as he ought to preach. I'm with you. Nobody's going to hurt you. It's going to be a win wherever the gospel preaches, it's a win.

And I have much people in this city. Why here? Why College Grove, Tennessee? Same reasons that were true back then. So wherever he has people, a lot or a little, he sends and upholds his preachers there.

But wherever he sends us, we preach to whoever, anybody and everybody that will listen, knowing that preaching what he sent us to preach is not gonna draw multitudes. But he said, when I'm lifted up, I'll draw all to myself. He's gonna draw all. No man can come unless he draws them. And he said, I'll draw, I'll draw where he's lifted up. If you were able to do some miracles now, just like then, the multitudes would come, wouldn't they? Wouldn't take long for word to get around. But that's not what he sent us to do, so I reckon we won't do that. And we know this, I know this when we do.

Look at Isaiah 42 with me. This is our passage of scripture that's quoted in our text. Behold my servant whom I uphold, mine elect in whom my soul delighteth. I have put my spirit upon him, he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench. He shall bring forth judgment unto truth.

Now, our text says that the reason he said don't tell anybody was because of this in fulfillment of that prophecy. So we know what it's talking about. We might not otherwise, but we do when it's clearly revealed.

He's not going to cry nor lift up nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. He's going to avoid multitudes and go to single centers, small groups here and there. He still does that. He still does that. In the bruised rear, he's gentle. He said, I'm meek and lowly. Learn of me. I'm meek and lowly in heart. You'll find rest.

But look at verse four, he shall not fail. Religion considers it a failure if they don't get multitudes. The Lord avoided multitudes and did not fail, could not fail, will not, shall not, has not failed, nor even be discouraged. Say, oh, the Lord's sad because, no, no. Until he have set judgment in the earth and the isles shall wait for his law.

So we've got to figure out a way to get everybody to come. There's not enough people. We need to appeal to the multitudes. We need a worldwide ministry. No, let's do what the Lord sent us to do. We'll preach to everybody who will listen. We'll use whatever means the Lord gives us to preach to as many as will listen, and we'll do so with this reassuring confidence.

Our Lord shall not fail. He shall not fail. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 2.14, our thanks be unto God, which always causes us to triumph in Christ and maketh manifest the savor of his knowledge by us in every place. Everywhere the gospel is preached, the manifest savor of Christ, the knowledge of Christ, is caused to go forth by the Lord. And it's a win, it's a triumph. And nothing about numbers is mentioned there, is it?

I know it's easy to get discouraged. Isaiah did, he said, who hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? It seems like nobody cares. Our Lord shall not fail. Not gonna fail. His precious, sin-atoning, soul-redeeming blood shall not fail to avail for everyone he shed it in order to redeem. I lay down my life for my sheep, and not one of them shall perish. And that's why he shall not fail in this ministry, in his ministry here. His word shall not ever return unto him void. He promised that. It's not gonna return into him void. He said in Isaiah 55, 11, it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. I sent it.

Are we to pray for our community, for people that the Lord would wake people up, give people an interest in the Lord, give us a way to preach to as many as the Lord would give us means to do? I don't see a problem with that. but we're not gonna be discouraged because he was not discouraged. He can't be discouraged.

And look at verse 21, we'll look at this last part. In his name shall the Gentiles trust. This is also part of Isaiah's prophecy that we read a minute ago there. The word, the Hebrew word translated Gentiles here is people. It's people because usually the Jews are specified, and then people is Gentiles. It's usually used for non-Jews, but not always. But we know who the people are here. It's spiritual Jews.

In his name shall the Gentiles trust. And that's what happened here in our text, wasn't it? Many trusted in Him, and it says that part of that prophecy, the Lord's methods might seem like failing methods because He didn't want to generate large crowds. But he said he doesn't strive nor cry, and he'll be gentle and kind. And he said, I didn't come to condemn the world. We're already condemned as a people, as a race, but that the world through me might be saved. That's what he came to do, to save. That's what that's talking about.

He's so gentle and tender. The smoking flax, he won't quench, he won't pour water on even the smallest spark, because he's the one that put the spark there. There wouldn't be a spark if it wasn't for him. A bruised reed that's just ready. Have you seen one that's just kind of already bending over, and if you just touch it, it'll fall over. He dealt in kindness and longsuffering with his sheep. And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.

His name, of course, is his character. I mean, his name, not just Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, like religion is always using the name, but that's a false Christ they're referring to. Apostle Peter preached in Acts 2 39 this the promise is unto you and to your children And to all that are far off even as many as the Lord our God shall call Everybody everywhere that the Lord calls and he said I that he would call them out of every kindred, tribe, nation, and tongue under heaven, and that's who we see in glory in the book of Revelation.

So he succeeded as always. He shall not fail. He saved everybody that he came to save, and he saved them out of all of the tribes of the earth. Even as many as the Lord our God shall call. Who is God going to call? Well, Paul said, whom he did foreknow and predestinate, those he called. That's pretty simple and pretty clear answer. That's who the Lord is going to call. Everybody that he loved from eternity and predestinated to be conformed to the image of his son.

So as the gospel call goes out, he's told us, he hasn't told us who specifically to preach to. He said, preach to everybody. Don't try to pull up the tares, because you'll end up pulling up wheat. That's above our pay grade. I don't want to use just crude stuff like that. But that's a pretty good expression, really. That's not our business. We're not smart enough. We're going to end up pulling up wheat. We're going to say, boy, that's a tare for sure. That's one of the Lord's sheep. We'd have pulled Saul up before the Lord could save him. We'd have murdered him. He's trying to kill us, we'll kill him. No, that's part of the weed. That's one of the precious plants that our Lord planted in his field.

They're going to trust in his name. His name, his character, his attributes. And I thought about these names of our Lord. They trust in his name. Think about this and let's apply this to our hearts, our lives, our experience tonight, and then we'll be through. Here's his names in the scripture, Jehovah Jireh, the Lord who provides. Trusting in him? You're worried about, you know, what's gonna happen? Well, I hope what happens is we Look to the Savior for everything we need, and find in Him also all that we want. Hold our hand up to the very throne of heaven, and say with David, the Lord is my shepherd. I shall not walk. I shall not walk. You trust Him there? You trust Him there?

Provide, he provide, he provided himself a lamb, what else will he not provide? They trust in Jehovah Rapha, the Lord who heals. Lord, I'm hurting, I'm hurting. Lord, I'm so weak. I'm so weak, I'm so pathetic, I'm so incompetent, I'm a failure in everything that I even think about. But the Lord who healed all of our soul's diseases by his stripes, we're healed, we're healed. What malady now, what sin-induced limitation or suffering will he not heal when his children cry unto him who is Jehovah Rapha?

We trust in Jehovah Nissi, I hope, the Lord, our banner. The Lord, our banner. You know, everybody wants to stand for something. Is there not a cause? David's cause was Christ, the glory of his God, that was his cause. Everybody got a cause, the Lord our banner. We fight and we live and we operate. He brought me to the banqueting house and his banner over me was love. We follow him into battle, and we're more than conquerors through him that loved us.

We trust in Jehovah Raya, the Lord, my shepherd. A shepherd, what does he not do for the sheep? What does he not do? He protects them, he feeds them, he makes sure that they have water, He makes them to lie down in green pastures. He restores my soul. He restores my soul.

We trust in Jehovah Shalom, who made peace through the blood of his cross. Peace. Trust in Jehovah Sidkenu, The Lord our righteousness. Every problem that we have is because of our sin, our sin, my sin. But the Lord is my righteousness. He fulfilled and is himself the righteousness of God. And by his grace, we submit him in his righteousness.

And trust in Jehovah Shammah, the Lord who is present. Do we do that? Do we know that we will never, well, you just can't, you can't get over this. If you're a believer, you're not gonna get over this. I'm never gonna be without him. There's never gonna be a time. that his arms of power are not embracing me, that his abundant provision doesn't surround me, that his very purpose in all that he does as he moves hearts, minds, and souls, as he moves circumstances and situations, He does them for my good. He's ever-present help in time of trouble. And when are you not in trouble? When in the world are we not in trouble?

The Lord, you know, Moses said, how shall we be known? He said, he pleaded with God, you go with us, Lord, because how are we going to be known? From all the other peoples in the world except for this, you're with us. Left Jehovah's Shema, the Lord is present. That's why we're here. If the Lord wasn't with us, what would be the point?

They trust in El Shaddai. El Shaddai. The Lord revealed himself to Abraham in this character when Abraham had hit rock bottom. And the Lord came to him and said, I am God Almighty. I'm God Almighty. When you hit rock bottom, you need God Almighty. Yeah, we don't need a best effort. We need God Almighty. If he will, he can. Do you trust him? You have loved ones that are lost and utterly hopeless, utterly hopeless. Yeah, but He's God Almighty, though. He's God Almighty.

I pray the Lord will give us a heart, us Gentiles, let's trust in the Lord. Let's trust in His name. May He give us grace to do so.