May I please Almighty God to
bless us together this evening as we meditate in his word. Let
us turn to the prophecy of Hosea, chapter 13, and we'll read verse
9. The prophecy of Hosea, chapter
13, and reading verse 9. O Israel, thou hast destroyed
thyself, but in me is thine help. I suppose this really is a word
which applies to every true believer, every child of God, because We
have indeed destroyed ourselves because of our sin. Because of
our sinful propensities, we have destroyed ourselves. We cannot
deliver ourselves. We cannot save ourselves. Our sins stand before us. Our sins stand between us and
our God. And therefore, what a wonderful
favour and what a wonderful blessing it is to have a word like this,
to realise the Lord has said, but in me is thine help. It's addressed, you see, to the
Church of God, O Israel. It's not addressed to any particular
individual. It is really an inclusive statement. although it's an inclusive statement
it brings us each individually before God to acknowledge the
truth of these words. Hosea lived in those years before
the time when Nebuchadnezzar came and conquered Jerusalem
and they were all taken captive back down to Babylon at least
most of them and therefore we can understand the situation,
the solemn condition, the solemn place that they were found in. And therefore this word was spoken
to them, but the reality was it didn't really have any true
effect upon them. They were taken captive. Now
it's a blessing for us tonight when the word comes to us like
it came to David many years ago when he was with Nathan the prophet
and Nathan directed him with those very clear words thou art
the man thou art the woman thou art the child well how true that
is oh Israel thou hast destroy thyself. Now if we have been
there, and if we are there, we shall need someone to remedy
the situation for us. Someone indeed, to come and help
us. Someone to come and support us. Someone to come and deliver us. Well, the Word tells us indeed
who that will be, and we are told, but in me is thine help. What a blessed truth that is. What a wonderful favour to know
that we have a great Saviour. And although we have destroyed
ourselves, this Saviour is able and willing and does save to
the uttermost. So if we feel perhaps to be an
uttermost sinner, perhaps to be out of reach, well we can
be thankful there is such a word as this, but in me is thine help. I'm sure as Hosea was able to
prophesy these words to Israel, and as they went down into captivity
into Babylon, to be reminded of such words as this. And of course, the Lord was their
help. He was their help even in Babylon. He was their help in delivering
them from Babylon. He was there helping, being with
them as they returned to Jerusalem and he was with them there. So
what a kind and what a gracious God we have and how thankful
we should be that we have such a God to encourage us and to
help us indeed and to bless us. Well, there are many, many words
in the word of God to encourage us. We read together that 115th
Psalm. You may have noticed as we read
through it, there were many verses which spoke about God being our
help. And perhaps it's almost summed
up in the 11th verse in this 115th Psalm where the psalmist
says, ye that fear the Lord, trust in the Lord. He is their
help and their shield. Word of God, you see, is gloriously
positive. It tells the church of God, it
tells the true Israel, the Lord is their help. And today He is
our help. And what a mercy, therefore,
if we are able to cry unto Him that He will come and that he
will help us, although to our own understanding, we perhaps
seem to have destroyed ourselves. You may say, well, I'm not quite
sure about that. Well, perhaps sometimes we are
convinced that we've sinned against light and knowledge. We knew
what was right, we walked contrary to it. We don't expect God to
be gracious. We don't expect God to be merciful. But yet, the Lord is a merciful
God. He is a gracious God. He does not deal with us as our
sins deserve. So therefore, to have this blessed
appreciation and understanding. He is our help. and he's our
shield, that means he is our defense. We need someone to defend
us against all the attacks of Satan. And let us not forget,
Satan's always alert to thrust his darts at us, to try and destroy
us. If he doesn't destroy us, he
wounds us. And yet you see, The Lord has
graciously told us a word like this. The Lord is our shield. And that shield, you see, can
protect us from all the fiery darts of the evil one. What a
mercy and what a blessing that is. And what a wonderful truth
if the Lord draws near to us, even tonight, and assures our
heart our very soul, that this Word has a gracious application
to us each. Indeed, we do need the Word of
God to speak personally to us. You see, it's lovely to read
the Word of God in a general way, but God's people are brought
into times of need, times when they need the application of
God's Word to their very soul. And then it does them good. And then it strengthens them. And then they are encouraged
and able to press on. Well, what a mercy it is then
for us tonight. If we think of this word, the
truth of it, O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself. And we have
to acknowledge the word is true. But then to bless God for the
good hope, for the good hope that is set before us in these
words, but in me is thine help. You know, when the Lord Jesus
was on this earth, he spoke so many encouraging words. And we're
told on one occasion, Jesus are listening and we're told when
Jesus heard it he said they that are whole have no need of the
physician those who think they're right those who think they're
perfect those who think they're living a good life they won't
think they need any healing they won't think they need any help
from God But the Lord tells us this, but they that are sick,
that means they that are sinful, they'll need a position. They'll need a word from God. What does the Saviour say? What
does he tell us? I came not to call the righteous,
but sinners to repentance. Now, without any doubt, The Holy
Spirit has convinced us that we've destroyed ourselves because
of our sin. And what a blessing it is then
if God brings us to that place of repentance to be truly sorry
for our sins. Every born again child of God
is brought to a place of godly repentance before a holy God
to be truly sorry of sin. What a wonderful evidence that
is of the life of God in our souls. O Israel, thou hast destroyed
thyself, but in me is thine help. So may we rejoice indeed in the
words of the Saviour. Sometimes one of the big problems
that we have to face is ourselves. ourselves and when we think of
that we think of our pride we think of our proud self well
we should be thankful that the psalmist picks up this theme
in the 124th psalm very beautiful words really he says then the
proud waters had gone over our soul they washed right over us
to drown us but Blessed be the Lord who has not given us a prey
to their teeth. The Lord has not forsaken us. He does not forsake us. Sometimes
it may seem like it. Perhaps it may feel like it.
We may feel far off. We may feel cold. We may feel
barren. We may feel hard-hearted. All
those are descriptions of a true believer who is under the work
of the Holy Spirit. What a blessing then to understand
these truths. Blessed be the Lord who has not
given us as a prey to their teeth. Blessed be God, isn't it? A mercy
from God, a wonderful favour from God. You see, the Lord gives
us these words to encourage us. And that's why when the apostle
wrote to the Hebrews, he came and he said this, so that we
may boldly say to the devil, yes, he's at our elbow, trying
to distract us, trying to make us give up. trying to make us
stop praying. Sometimes it may seem that we
are prayerless almost. It seems that we don't possess
any true providing prayer. Well, here is the word then. The devil can't go and say the
word of God. He may try to, he won't be able
to. And do not forget when the blessed
saviors on this earth He defeated the devil by quoting the Word
of God. And you and I can quote the Word
of God, and may we do so. And in Hebrews, the last chapter,
the 13th chapter, the sixth verse, we're told, so that we may boldly
say, the Lord is my helper. Well, have we proved it? Perhaps you might say, well,
I'm not sure. Dig the See if you can find a little
spot, a little time, when God was your helper, in which case
you can say, indeed, with the apostle, the apostle knew what
he was talking about. The apostle had been in dark
times. You only have to read the seventh
of Romans to find out that. but he had to complain about
his condition and acknowledge when he said, O wretched man,
I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this sin and death?
But you see, his eyes were upon the Savior. And they were when
he wrote to the Hebrews, the Lord is my helper. He goes on, I will not fear,
what man shall do unto me. See, under the influence of Satan,
man can say very hurtful things, man can say very untrue things,
but let us remember this great truth, the Lord is my helper. Well, the apostle approved it,
the apostle knew it, therefore under the gracious influence
of the Holy Spirit, These words are recorded by Hosea many years
ago. How true they are then today.
O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself, but in me is thine help. Nowhere else, nowhere else you
and I can look to poor puny man. They may try and help, they may
succeed partially, but you and I will have to come with nothing,
clinging to the word of God, clinging to his faithful words,
clinging to these truths. I will not fear what man shall
do unto me. You know, you might remember
there was the occasion of that woman in the word of God, Sarah
Phoenicia woman, And she had a great need. And she came and she worshipped
God. She bowed down and she worshipped
God. And she prayed the shortest prayer
in the Bible. And it's a good thing if you
and I are familiar with the shortest prayer in the Bible. And this
is what it is. Lord, help me. Lord, help me. Don't have to dream up a long
prayer, do we? We can come to God very simply,
very truthfully, very wonderfully. Lord, help me. This really is
the essence of this ninth verse, isn't it? But in me, is thine
help. That's the truth, that's the
fact. What a blessing when the Lord
applies the word to our heart so we come then and it then is
not just a statement of fact, it then is a prayer from our
heart, Lord help me. And the Lord hears and answers
prayers and such a prayer as that the Lord will hear. and the Lord will answer. What
a blessing it is then to realize the great truths that we have,
the great blessings that we have. Isaiah, as we know, is a wonderful
book and a wonderful book of encouragement. And Isaiah in
the 41st chapter tells us something of these great truths, verse
13 and 14. He tells us, for I, the Lord
God, will hold thy right hand. You see, needing the help of
God, he holds us by the right hand, saying unto thee, fear
not, I will help thee. Fear not thou worm, Jacob. You
know, if we think we've destroyed ourselves, we won't think very
highly of ourselves. And the description of a worm
Jacob is pretty suitable. Fair not thou worm Jacob, and
ye men of Israel. I will help thee, saith the Lord,
and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. He gives this wonderful
description, doesn't he? To those he will help as being
their Redeemer. The one who has given his life
to take away their sins. Yes, he says, saith the Lord
and thy Redeemer. Well, if we can come to the Lord
this evening with a prayer, Lord, help me in believing him to be
our Redeemer, surely this will be then a prayer of faith and
surely there will be an answer, an answer from God. But we ought
to just remember this. The Lord always helps, but he
helps in his way and he helps in his time. Both of those situations
may be different in our lives. They may be very different to
our timing. They may be very different in
the way that we assume help will come. You only have to read. the Old Testament, the many wars
that Israel and Judah had to fight. And when they cried unto
the Lord in their trouble, he delivered them out of their distresses. But sometimes it was in a very
unusual way. Sometimes it was a very wonderful
way. But whenever it occurred, it
was very clear that it was God the Lord who was their helper. Well, may we indeed tonight be
able to come to our God, believing that he is our helper, that he
is the God who we trust in, the God who never leaves us nor forsakes
us. What a mercy that is. It's a
lovely verse in the 89th Psalm. A lovely verse to encourage us
and direct us greatly to the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. You might think, I didn't know
the Saviour was in the Old Testament. Of course he is, from Genesis
to Revelation. And in Psalm 89 verse 19, this
is what the Lord says, blessed be God. Then thou spakest in
vision, to thy holy one and said, I have laid help upon one that
is mighty. I've exalted one chosen out of
the people. What a blessed prophecy there
is of the gracious Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, the Lord has indeed
laid help upon him. He is our helper. in every time
of need. Well, may we rejoice tonight. I hope we do. I hope we can.
I hope we will. In the great and glorious finished
work of the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Finally, perhaps
just the words of Samuel. Remember Samuel, man
of God. prophet of God, servant of God. And the Lord graciously was with,
graciously blessed him. And he was able to speak some
very beautiful words. And in the seventh chapter, the
first book of Samuel, the 12th verse, this is what we read.
Then Samuel took a stone, a stone to remember. wonder if you and
I have got any stones, and set it between Misbah and
Shen, and call the name of it Ebenezer, saying, hitherto hath
the Lord helped us. Perhaps we can say, by the grace
of God, hitherto hath the Lord helped
me. And if so, perhaps we can go
on, as the hymn writer said, he who has helped me hitherto
will help me all my journey through and give me daily cause to raise
new Ebenezers to his praise. O Israel, thou hast destroyed
thyself, but in me is thine help. Amen.