The notices for the week. If the Lord will, pastor will
preach next Lord's Day at 10.30 and 2 o'clock. Mr. Mark Seymour will preach on Thursday
evening at 7 o'clock. And there will be a prayer meeting
on Tuesday evening at 7 o'clock. May the Lord help us now to commence
our worship today with hymn number 369, June Meriton 366. How pleasant,
how divinely fair, O Lord of hosts, thy dwellings are! With
long desire my spirit faints, to meet the assemblies of thy
saints. and how divinely fair the Lord
of hosts by twilight's last gleaming Proclaim, dear Zion, thy Spirit's
thanks to Thee, this heavenly song I sing. ? As fathers' angels sing ? ? Hymn
of high ? ? Hark! The herald angels sing ? ? Hark!
The herald angels sing ? ? Hark! The herald angels sing ? ? Hark!
The herald angels sing ? and all their work is praise
and love. Bless all the souls that find the place
Within the temple of my grace, There they behold thy gentle
rays, And sing thy praise, and earn thy praise. Lest all the pain whose thoughts
are sad ? To find the way to Zion's gate ? ? God is a strength
and ruler of earth ? ? Made in the power of his hand ? May the Lord help us this morning
in reading three Psalms. Psalm 46, Psalm 62, and Psalm
91. Psalms 46, 62, and 91. Firstly, Psalm 46, to the chief
musician, for the sons of Korah, a song upon a lamb of God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though
the earth be removed and though the mountains be carried into
the midst of the sea, though the waters thereof roar and be
troubled. Although the mountains shake
with the swelling thereof. Selah. There is a river, the
streams whereof shall make glad the city of God. The holy place
of the tabernacles of the Most High. God is in the midst of
her. She shall not be moved. God shall
help her and that right early. The heathen raged, the kingdoms
were moved, he uttered his voice, the earth melted. The Lord of
hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge, Selah. Come, behold the works of the
Lord, what desolations he hath made in the earth. He maketh wars to cease unto
the end of the earth, He breaketh the bow and cutteth the spear
in thunder. He burneth the chariot in the
fire. Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the heathen. I will be exalted in the earth.
The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. Psalm 16. to the chief musician, to a Juduthon,
a Psalm of David. Truly my soul waiteth upon God. From him cometh my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation. He is my defense. I shall not
be greatly moved. How long will ye imagine mischief
against a man? Ye shall be slain, all of you,
as a bow in wall shall ye be, and as a totter in fence. They only consult to cast him
down from his excellency. Are they delight in lies? They bless with their mouth,
but they curse inwardly. Selah. My soul wait thou only upon God,
for my expectation is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation,
he is my defense, I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation
and my glory, the rock of my strength and my refuge is in
God. Trust in him at all times ye
people, Pour out your heart before Him, God is a refuge for us. Selah. Surely men of low degree
are a vanity, and men of high degree are a lie. To be laid
in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity. Trust not
in oppression, and become not vain in robbery. If riches increase,
Set not your heart upon them. God hath spoken once, twice have
I heard this, that power belongeth unto God. Also unto thee, O Lord,
belongeth mercy, for thou renderest to every man according to his
work. Psalm 91. He that dwelleth in the secret
place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the
Almighty. I will say of the Lord, he is
my refuge and my fortress, my God, in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee
from the snare of the fowler and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his
feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust. His troops
shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for
the terror by night, nor for the arrow that flyeth by day,
nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness, nor for the destruction
that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy
side, and ten thousand at thy right hand, but it shall not
come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou
behold and see the reward of the wicked, because thou hast
made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most high thy habitation. There shall no evil before thee
neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling for he shall
give his angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their
hands lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread
upon the lion and adder The young lion and the dragon shalt thou
trample under feet. Because he hath set his love
upon me, therefore will I deliver him. I will set him on high,
because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I
will answer him. I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and honour
him. With long life will I satisfy
him and show him my salvation. May the Lord bless those well-known
songs to ourselves and may he grant help in time of prayer. Most holy, Almighty Lord God,
we do come before thee this morning as poor, weak, feeble sinners. And in our nature, we are far
from a holy God. Lord, we have to say, as indeed
is recorded in thy word, that our very righteousnesses the
best that we can offer are but as filthy rags. O Lord, if thou
dost look upon the heart and thou dost of each and every one
of us here this morning and upon the hearts of those listening
in too, thou dost see, Lord, that dungeon, that place of sin,
of vileness, that place of wretchedness. Lord, there is, Lord, nothing
in our hearts towards thee except thou dost put it there. And may
it be, Lord, that we have come into thy courts with the prayer
of the first hymn that we have sung this day, that we might
come where thine honour dwelleth, where thou dost bless thy dear
children, where, Lord, despite the wickedness that we have spoken
a little of, despite those failings in the flesh, thou dost look
upon us in mercy. Oh Lord, we felt it when our
dear friend started his prayers in the vestry speaking of thy
mercy. And Lord, that's what we need.
Each time we come into thy court, One says, without thy sweet mercy
I could not live here, sin soon would reduce me to utter despair. And it would Lord, particularly
where the work of conviction is going on and we realize that
we cannot, we cannot keep from sin, we cannot come away from
these things without the help of thy Holy Spirit. Lord, do
then work in our hearts this day to desire thee, to seek,
Lord, that portion for our never-dying souls. And may, Lord, there be
that portion for seven and also for eight. May it be a day when
the Son of Man is seen and felt in the souls' experience of the
friends here. And Lord, may it prove to be
an arrangement of thy making. Lord thou knowest that according
to providence we had this Sunday scheduled in as a so-called holiday
Sunday. But Lord, it has not come to
that because Lord thou, we believe as in many ways there have been
those things that we are not away neither indeed away from
our labors. And in, Lord, thy wisdom, we
believe, Lord, thou hast placed us here this day. And may it
prove to be of the Lord. And may those things in our lives,
and there were so many of them, and we each come from different
scenes, But Lord, may we look and watch for the signs of the
Lord working in our circumstantial matters. Lord, we pray for it,
and perhaps particularly for the young friends, that they
might look, they might observe. Who so is wise? Give them wisdom, Lord, and will
observe these things. Even they shall understand at
a loving kindness of the Lord. And so, Lord, we pray that we
might be given wisdom in those things. So Lord, do bless the
word this day. Do help this poor man then to
proclaim the name of the Lord. And Lord, may it be an occasion
according to thy holy will. We do pray for the dear pastor
of this people away at this time, and we pray for him in Canada,
and we pray that Lord will bless him and help him. We believe
he may be taken later on according to the time difference, that
morning service, but if so, Lord, do graciously help him and equip
him and give him that wish to speak, and do bless him amongst
the friends over there and grant him, Lord, a beneficial time
away. We do feel for him, Lord, in
the solitary pathway he has to walk. We do feel for him, Lord,
in those trials of the way and the loneliness and the intensity
of it. And we would not forget, Lord,
that it is not long since he lost his dear one. Do bless him
indeed, we do pray and grant that he may come back to the
dear friends here next Lord's Day refreshed in body, in mind,
and in soul. And Lord, that there may be that
good season of blessing again amongst them when he is back
in their midst. Lord, we do pray for it. And we pray, Lord, that thou
will bless his ministry amongst the dear friends here. We know
that thou hast, and those are listening. We know, Lord, that
thou hast used him. And, We know that, Lord, truly
that the world has been blessed here. But may, Lord, there yet
be that special encouragement, even this year, of what the Lord
is doing here at Lambethurst Chapel. We do plead for it. And, Lord, we pray that he will
rejoice and the friends will rejoice in what the Lord is doing. Oh Lord, that they might know
those days of prosperity. Lord, we plead for it. And Lord,
we do pray for the deacons. We pray that they may be helped
this day in the choice and the giving out of the hymns. We pray,
Lord, that thy blessing will be upon these things. And we
pray for them in the diaconate with their responsibilities and
their burdens for this house of prayer. And we pray for strengthening
grace and help from above. Lord, do be with them, we pray. And Lord, we pray for the church,
that Lord, thou wilt yet add unto them. Those, Lord, that
will come and have to come. Lord, to put thee on with thy
open profession. And know, longer, Lord, as it
were, able to hold back, but to proclaim a little, Lord, to
the church of what the Lord has done. Lord, we beg that thou
will do it. We pray that thou that can smooth
the hardest heart set, as one might put it, in the firmest
cement, they can be moved. And Lord, we have seen it. We
have seen it. We have known of those that have
said, I shall never be baptized. And the Lord has brought them.
Oh, we pray that they might yet prove, for the love of Christ
constraineth me. Lord, we leave it with thee,
for thou art the one in control of these things. And Lord, sad
would be the day poor man were to entice others. Lord, we pray
that thou would build up the congregation, that yet thou will
bring others in, and even if it could be some of thy dead
elect in this village, perhaps have passed by this little house
of prayer, wonder what it's all about. Oh Lord, work in souls
yet we do pray, and we beg thou will bring If one might use that
term, the outsider's in. Lord, thou needst to turn the
insiders out. And we will speak rightly in
that way, Lord, but because we've been brought up in the way, we
still need stirring up, Lord, that we're not just schooled
up in the ways of the strict Baptist beliefs, but rather,
Lord, that we know personally the Lord Jesus Christ and know
him savingly. Oh, but do bring others in. Lord,
we pray thou would remember the congregation, each one, be with
the families, Lord. We thank thee, Lord, for the
families. We thank thee for the children
and the young people found in thy courts. We pray that at an
early age thou would help them in prayer, thou would encourage
them in their prayer lives. And Lord, we do pray thou will
be with parents and guide and direct and help them. These are
challenging days, Lord. They are challenging whether
we homeschool or whether children are at school. It is still a
challenge because we cannot closet ourselves away from the world
where we're not meant to, Lord. How clear the word was that thy
people are of the world, are in the world, but not of it.
And that's the thing. But Lord, Oh, we do pray that
we might be as beacons, light shining before men. It's not
easy, Lord. We do need that wisdom and help.
We've had to prove it in some issues in education where we've
had to make a stand. And Lord, oh, they look on you
as somewhat bigoted, but Lord, oh, that we might stand by the
truth in God's word. We pray then for the young friends
to help them. Be with them, Lord, provide for
them, help them in their education, whether it be at home or at school,
and be mindful of them. And Lord, as they come to the
time of the summer break, do watch over them, we pray. Be
with those that are away this day, this weekend, and grant
thy blessing and favour upon them, and be with them indeed,
Lord, we do beg. And oh, Lord, return them in
due course, and others, Lord, that as we come to the holiday
season, we pray for them that thou wilt be mindful of them. We do plead, Lord, for our friend,
Ina Field, that, Lord, we, in our old age, do bless her, Lord,
as she listens in, and may, Lord, yet strength be given for her
now and again to be able to venture out, but do bless her, Lord,
and favour her, Lord, we plead. Also, we pray for the dear friends
in the church from Holland, Lord, do remember them, and Lord, go
before them and watch over them in all things, and grant, Lord,
all thy blessing even this day. Lord, we would remember the friends
here then, in all these things. Lord, we do pray that thou would
be with parents and grandparents, that thou would hear their prayers
for their children and grandchildren, Pray that thou will be with those
that walk in tried pathways. Those that are particularly troubled
this morning, oh, do appear for them. We do plead, Lord, that
thou would remember the older friends and be with them, Lord,
in their older age. And Lord, as these infirmities
creep on, Lord, do bless them, Lord, with that nearness of thy
gracious spirit. and remember them for good. Lord,
we do pray and come before thee pleading that thou would remember
those on the cusp of eternity. And Lord, really, when we look
at it, according to nature, we're all on the cusp of eternity.
But Lord, we do pray for our dear mother-in-law at this time,
as she is coming down to the end, and it cannot be long. Man
thought it would be some weeks ago, but man does not know the
time to be born and the time to die. And we believe this,
Lord. We believe, Lord, there have
been many more prayers that she has had to offer up and therefore
has been spared longer than man felt. And so, Lord, we do pray
thou will be with her as she crosses that Jordan in that Jew
season. Lord, Oh, to shout the triumphs
of our King. Oh, may it be so, Lord, and be
with the family at this time. And others have mourned, Lord.
Oh, they'll notice. Those that have mourned us in
this way over those losses that they've got. Lord, our tears
will only be wiped away when we're in heaven. Oh, there will
be no sorrow there. What a mercy, Lord. We do pray. that thou wilt then be with those
that are grievous and mourning over losses. And sometimes it
can be those that come back that we've lost many years ago. Lord,
we pray thou wilt remember us in this sinful land and nation. How solemn are the ways that
we go in. Lord, we've departed from thy
word. We've departed from normal morals. We've departed from decency.
Lord, we've departed from all these things. Oh, we do pray,
Lord, that thou wouldest appear and yet turn this nation back
to thee. Lord, we have gone in 80 years
or so from a nation in which a king could call national days
of prayer to a day, Lord, in which it feels we're prayerless. And one of the One of the senior
bishops says that we cannot pray to God the Father because it
may upset people. Oh, how solemn, Lord, are these
days. Where are those leaders in the
national church? We pray, Lord. We know there
are some that attend the national church that do not like these
things, the traditionalists, Lord, and we pray. Yet that will
raise up men that really will be leaders according to the word
of God. And also, Lord, those that follow
these truths in Parliament, we're thankful for the ones and the
twos that do. But, oh, Lord, may there yet
be a return to traditional family life, how solemn it is, the decline
in these things. Oh, Lord, remember us as a nation,
we pray. We pray for our Prime Minister
and our King as we are exhorted to do. But, Lord, Now solemn
are these days, we do pray that thou wilt yet look upon Britain
despite all her sins, and we're part of it, Lord. Oh, do remember
us in the nation. And Lord, now we come to thy
word. What a burden it is, Lord, for
the hearers. Those rightly exercised hearers,
it's a burden to come up to thy courts and to hear the word,
because their soul is on the stretch for a blessing. And it's
wonderful, Lord, if that has been the case for a few poor
souls here this morning. And what a burden it is for thy
servants, that the word is the right word to come with, that
they might be helped to open up the word, that they might
be taught in the word, so that, Lord, they can bring those things
out that might be a teaching to others as well. But Lord,
do come, help us in all these aspects of divine worship, and
Lord, do be with us, we pray. Help one of the organ, help us
in singing thy worthy praises, be mindful of us, dear Jesus. And we do pray, Lord, for a thankful
heart, and would end on a note of thanksgiving for all thy mercies
and favours towards us Lord, thou art better to us, much better
to us than our sins deserve. And Lord, we have to say that,
Lord, thou art a good and kind and gracious, merciful God, and
we deserve nothing of it. But Lord, we thank thee that
thou, as one says, now thank we all our God with hearts and
soul and voices. May we do so this morning, we
plead it all for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. In number 1028, June, Arizona,
284. Come hither, ye by sin distressed,
and hear the Saviour's faithful word. Soon ye shall enter into
rest, and know that he is your conquering Lord. Hymn 1028, June,
Arizona, 284. No. O hear thy Savior distress, and
hear thy Savior's faithful call. To be generous, to feed, to rest,
and know that it's your country too. Come hither ye, this rising fierce,
Or bid you to enchant and sing. Whose broad stripes and bright
stars through the perilous fight O'er the ramparts we watched,
were so gallantly streaming? Does Satan tend you to be kind? That poor, unborn, unfeatured
man Does not care when you're little
old Come here and we'll hold you now Come give a tip, and take your
cup. Thou hast a heart in ev'ry field,
Gracious and merciful, Is he, or he is he, that such
men see? with pride from thine, an able
will in Saviour true. Misty as sunlight, Lovely they'll shine if they
die not here praying. May the Lord help us each this
morning, friends, as we would consider his word. I'd ask you
to turn Psalm 46, verse one. Psalm 46, the first verse. God is our refuge and strength. A very present help in trouble. God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble. I've been burdened, friends,
about bringing the right word as your pastor and the servants
of God that preach here will. And indeed, friends, no doubt
it's a burden with you. But I had such a view of a letter
when we sung those last two lines just a moment ago that was sent
to me when I wrote to Mr. Harold Jemson to say that his
ministry had been a help to me before I went before the church,
or after I'd been accepted into the church, and I wrote to encourage
him about how his work of preaching had been a help. And he quoted
these two lines. Is he a sun? On thee he'll shine,
And this last one, is he thy God? Here bring thee through. And friends, as I sat in the
middle here, I felt I needed bringing through the service
this morning. And so do you need bringing through
those things you're walking in. So what an encouragement it is
in the hymn that we've just sung to this poor man, here bring
thee through. But it reminded me, and it's
good to have those reminders, of those that append things to
us, those that have, as it were, encouraged us in those ways in
the past, and they come back. The Lord reminds us of these
things. Well, you young friends may have
noticed that it's perhaps a habit of mine, but when I read a psalm,
And there's a heading above it in the Westminster Bible. It's
not in all the Bibles. I tend to read those words. And
this morning we had in Psalm 46 to the chief musician. And
you will find there were about 55 Psalms that are to the chief
musician. And it seems that they are to
be perfectly rendered. They are to be Psalms of praise
sung and honor to the glory of God as we try in our singing
to do so. But the chief musician must have
the oversight of the singing of these. Friends, it made me
think of the chief musician in heaven, if one dare to liken
the dear Lord Jesus to that, and I believe, friends, he's
chief of all things. You know, in glory, we will sing
that eternal song. to his praise and his honor.
And it's for the sons of Korah. Now the Korahites were part of
the Levites. They were those that were to
serve the Lord in the temple. And yet, friends, they were rebellious. They rebelled. These were the
Korahites. It was some of those that rebelled
against Moses. And it makes us realize, friends,
and I'm sure our friends here, the deacons, would agree with
me, that those of us that are called to serve the Lord in the
temple or in his house, and others also that serve him, we still
have rebellious hearts. Oh, when they were shown forgiveness
for their rebellion, but friends, that rebellion that is within
us, rebellious self has been, and aren't rebellious still,
Yet since in love I took thee in, my promise I'll fulfill. His promise that he would be
with his dear people. The sons of Korah, so they were
specially worded in this psalm. And a song upon a lamb. What
does that mean? Friends, it's a high-pitched.
It's for the soprano voices of the Hebrew children. And it's
because that they should set in those high notes are those
true notes of praise and honor unto God. A song upon a lamp,
the high sounding notes. And friends, you know, he'll
have those notes to be echoed from our hearts. Well, we just
leave those thoughts, but we come to the word, God is our
refuge and strength. Well-known word, friends, You've
read this psalm, I have no doubt, many times. And I want to speak rightly,
friends. I've read it, and it's been impervious to me. It's just
been a short, perhaps pleasant psalm to read. But you know,
there have been those times when we've walked in it. And what
about you this morning, friends? Are you walking? in trouble at
the moment? Do you need a refuge? Do you
need a place of safety, spiritually, providentially? Friends, is it
a word that's suitable to you? You'll know. You'll know how
you've come into his courts this morning and those listening,
where they are. You see, friends, it's wonderful
when we've had an exercise and a burden in a thing before the
Lord. Because I believe, you know, all of his dear people,
they may not have the blessing in this particular verse, but
they will know what it is to walk in it, to need it, to need,
as it were, him to be a refuge. The hymn writer sums it up nicely. And he says, I've a refuge, have
I none? And you see, friends, it's mortifying
to the flesh. And this is the pathway the Lord
will have us to come. I've a refuge. have I none, hangs
my helpless soul on thee. Now everybody in this world looks
for a refuge. We need to be clear about this
friends. This psalm sets out that God
is our refuge, but everybody in a time of trouble and we read
it's very clear in scripture that man, man, That's all men. Man is born unto trouble as the
sparks fly upward. But who do they turn to in their
trouble? They turn to their obsessions
with things, won't they? We know the various things and
we can get caught up in them ourselves. They turn to their
sports and they turn to their pubs and they turn to their discos
and they turn to their sociability and all these things that encompass
them and they turn to everything to distract them from their troubles,
but their troubles are still there. They have a refuge, their
place of safety is a place, a false place of safety. It's a place
that they're setting up that takes them away from thinking
about these things and Often thinking about the fact that
one day they face death. The world knows naturally, they
know, they know that we have a finite life. But friends, it's
put off for another day. It's swallowed in these pleasures.
Oh, as we see them about even this morning. You see friends,
there would you and I be, except we're in this text that we look
to God as our refuge in our times of trouble. because we all will
have them. And yet, you see, the troubles
for the child of God is sanctified. The word means set apart. Set
apart those troubles. They are set apart to see the
work of God in those troubles, in those things that they are
brought through. God is our refuge. Oh, my friend,
this morning, do you need a refuge? Perhaps it's the blackness and
the vileness of your soul, your waywardness in religion, your
lack of, how can I put it, a belief in the Lord, your unbelief that
pours in, perhaps it is your lack of faith, it is your, the
depth of knowledge you feel you've got in scripture and in the Lord
Jesus, all these things trouble you. A new word that you had,
like dear Calper, seeks in the hymn a closer walk with God and
a calm and heavenly frame. So that distance from God, these
are things that trouble you, perhaps this morning. But there's
a refuge, a place of safety. Friends, you will notice now
why, I'm sure you will have observed in your thoughts, why we had
those three Psalms because each of them speak of the refuge Psalm
91 I will say of the Lord. He is my refuge and my fortress You see a fortress is a place
where there's there must be safety because of the strength in it
and that the enemy cannot enter in my God in him will I trust
and And he speaks also in verse 15 in Psalm 91, he shall call
upon me. You see those that make the Lord
their refuge because they've been brought there because other
refuge have they none. It's his work, isn't it? From beginning to end. But those
that have been brought there, they will call upon him and I
will answer him. I will be with him in trouble. Yes, friends, your trouble this
morning. Are you troubled on account of
sin? Are you troubled because you feel far off from God? Are
you troubled because you would walk closer to him? God is our
refuge and strength. You know, if you're troubled
about these things, it's a great mercy. Those that are dead, have
no desires, no thoughts, no feeling in this way. The fact that you're
troubled and stirred up about such things is a wonderful favour.
The fact that you come into Zion's courts desiring that the Lord
would speak to you is such a blessing, friends. It's not in nature. We know what we were like when
we were younger and even in our teenage at times till the Lord
We remember what it was like, how irksome, how we watched the
clock, how irksome it was sitting in chapel. Friends, it does not
go with nature to worship God, even in an outward sense. Nature
wants to be doing other things. But God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble. And then we come to Psalm 62.
where we, that's a beautiful psalm where it speaks of, he
only is my rock and my salvation. And verse eight, trust in him at
all times ye people, pour out your heart before him. God is
a refuge for us. And then the beautiful sealer
pours to stop and take that in. God is a refuge for us. Present tense, friends. God is. It doesn't say God was in the
past and God will be in the future, but I believe this, for the poor
child of God, it must be so. But this is a present tense psalm. Be still and know. And he speaks
also of the city of God. God is in the midst of her, she
shall not be moved. And this beautiful word, God
shall help her. The spiritual Jerusalem and that
right early. God is our refuge. God is our
only place of safety. And friends, oh, do look to Him
in that that you've got this morning. You might say, well,
I'm trying to pray to Him. Well, may the Lord encourage
you to continue. You might say, but my path is
so bitter. This way is so troublesome. This
trial is so deep. I can't continue. I can't go
on. Might be a little help to you.
God is our refuge and strength. A very present help. A help now. And the word very, you see, the
word very is an adverb. There's no doubt you young friends
know. An adverb which adds emphasis to the verb. He's not just present,
he's a very present help. Friends, I want those a little
further on in the way. You look back, he's been with
you in trouble. Can you say he hasn't? You know,
I thought of King Asa. And you know, that man was a
good king, although he did wander. He did wander away from the Lord,
as many of these good kings did. But you see, the spirit of God
came upon Azariah, the son of Oded. And he went to meet Esau
and he said this, the Lord is with you while ye be with him. And if ye seek him, he will be
found of you. But if ye forsake him, he will
forsake you. Now it says for a long season,
Israel have been without the true God. But this beautiful
word, but when they in their trouble did turn to the Lord
God of Israel and sought him, he was found of them. And friends,
may it be a word for you and me this morning, but one day,
in their trouble, did turn to the Lord God of Israel and sought
Him. He was found of them. Your troubles
this morning, friends, to lay them before Him. He says, cast
on me thy care. It is enough that I am nigh. I will all thy burdens bear. I will all thy needs supply. Cast it upon me. Commit thy way
unto me. Trust also in him. Trust also in him, and he shall
bring it to pass. The time of deliverance, the
time of blessing, the time of favor, even in this trouble.
And my friends, you'll come to bless him for it. And I believe
that's real grace. where we can bless and thank
the Lord for his trouble, that the trouble that he brought us
into. You know, Job in the same chapter,
if I can find it, in which he describes the fact that man is
born unto trouble as the sparks fly upward, he says this, he
shall deliver thee in six troubles. Yea, in seven there shall no
evil Touch thee. I wonder if you were to literally
list down the number of troubles you've got this morning, how
long your list would be. My friends, the word's clear
here. In six and in seven, the Lord's
people will not be touched. It's an encouragement to our
poor souls because we do get, don't we, caught into the mire
of trouble And then unbelief comes in, and friends, we believe
we've got nothing, and we're far off from God. But God is
our refuge and strength. You know, this word was a great
help to Mr. William Southerden Cooper, pastor
at Lakenheath Chapel for 40 years. He died in 1940, but this dear
man, he had three children, and one of them was very afflicted.
At a young age he was free, I think, and he had water on the brain,
and it affected him all his life. And the poor man, he'd got his
wife in at the same time that this came about, that the lad
was in one bedroom and his wife in another, and he was rushed
off his feet looking after them both. Had to get up every two
hours, consistently over a period of weeks, every two hours in
the night to look after one or the other. And he's preaching, friends,
at the same time. All these things. But he said
this, the strength that was given me of the Lord, those two hours
sleep was sufficient to get me through. He said it was remarkable. But this, and friends, this is
what I'm coming to in our troubles. The Lord, oh, he crept into the
chapel at Gower Street one evening, so cast down with all these troubles
that he'd got. And, uh, Eli Ashdown gave the
hymn out, uh, that speaks of chastisement. And it says, and
this couplet caught the man. Oh, just where he was. Friends,
I've had to plead it myself. Then kiss the rod. Oh, the rod
of chastisement that's bringing all this trouble upon you and
I. Then kiss it, friends. Oh, how
he had to kiss it. Why? then kiss the rod. It's bringing us to Christ, this
rod, you know. It's bringing us to Him where
we would not come. Then kiss the rod. Oh, and this,
confess thy sin. And I believe that's what the
poor sinner does. They realize that the rod is
steeped in his love, but he brings us to confess our sins that have
brought this rod about in the first place. Yes, kiss the rod, confess thy
sin, and this, it shall a blessing prove. That rod shall prove to
be a blessing. My friends, it will prove to
be a blessing for you, for your never dying souls. It will prove
perhaps even in Providence to be a blessing for you, where
you see the Lord turning the matter around. So pray on. But oh, you see, this is the
work in an exercised soul. And this man said this. He said,
as I write this now, looking back over my life, this
afflicted boy. And he said, the enemy told me
this. The enemy said he will keep you
poor all your life, and he will be a thorn all your life. He
said this, that the enemy has said has proved to be wrong.
Firstly, the Lord has provided for me in providence every day
of my life. Secondly, he is now and has been
for several years a deacon of the church here at Lakenheath.
Ah, the blessing proved in the affliction, in the trouble. My
friends, whatever you brought in this morning, when the Lord
works in your soul, when he causes you to cry unto him because of
this trouble, when he shows you that it's his work, you'll be
softened, you'll be brought to acknowledge before the mighty
God that this is the rod and you will kiss it because the
love of the Lord. He said, I went home and I took
my son onto my lap and I kissed him because I felt that the rod
of God was upon me through that afflicted child. If you don't know trouble, friends,
and you're having a smooth pathway, and you always have had a smooth
pathway, it's a solemn place to be in, you know, because you
won't know anything of this text. This is the text of the desperate. I hope you don't mind a personal
recollection, but my, it's some 30 years ago that my brother
was shot and seriously injured in Brixton. And, you know, we
came home from the Wednesday evening service at Staples and
my dad got home and we were married then, but we had a phone call
from him to say that the police were on the drive and he was
being taken up to London as my brother was, well, had been shot. There was no news on it, so we
heard of the hospital that he was in and we rang them up and
they said, You're a reporter, we won't give you that information.
Oh, came away and we felt we had to go up there, but before
we could get in the car. Friends, these moments of desperation,
we know them, don't we? I said to my dear one, we must
read and pray. Lord, I didn't know whether he
was in the flesh, I didn't know whether his life had been taken
or whether he would be dying or anything. We just knew it
was a serious incident. Psalm 46. You friends, I opened
the Bible, and it opened on this side. Oh, what a suitable word. And we wept over it. But oh,
and had a little prayer. I don't know what I prayed. I
don't know what I prayed, friends. But sometimes we don't know what
we do pray. Those prayers are such strong
prayers. Those prayers of confusion. Those prayers from the heart.
The upward glancing of an eye. Oh, the inarticulate prayer. But anyway, friends, We were
able to make one further contact, and the hospital worked. They
said, well, we can't actually say that he's still alive. That's
all we needed to know, really, to help us on our way. And then
we got there and proved that the bullet had passed through
and missed his kidney by a quarter of an inch, friends. May it yet
be a voice to him. But you see this beautiful soul,
and how the Lord blessed it. Well, we felt he did. You know,
when you really come into trouble, friends, there'll be no one else
as a child of God that you can go to but to the Lord. You can't. You won't be able to. He'll bring
you to the place of desperation. You've been there of late? Felt
desperate, have you? I don't know what to do. Like
the dear woman that had to come before me with those three lovely
words in prayer, Lord help me. But she was pushed back and pushed
back by the disciples. And even the Lord said unto her,
I'm not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
In other words, you coming from the coast of Canaan, I've not
necessarily come for you, but she pressed on. And oh, if there's nothing else to
take away this morning, dear friends, May the Lord help us
each in our pressing on. Because you see, we will have
us to press on towards the mark. God is our refuge and strength.
Now, you will know that in the Old Testament, there were those
cities of refuge. Places of safety, which under
the the law that was created at that time for those that had
committed murder but that it was manslaughter or murder that
was not intended to be murder, that there were the six cities
free on each side of the Jordan where the committer of the crime
could go as a place of safety and that they could not be avenged. their blood that they had slain
another and the family which had a right under those circumstantial
laws that they could avenge that murder. How we dealt with it,
how it was dealt with is a very serious thing in those days. We think these days friends,
I know it's an aside, but you see we We let those that murder
go free, don't we? Or we let them just, we put them
in jail. But the word of the Lord is clear, that they should
have no life remaining in them. Yes, that he that slayeth another
should be slayed. Well, anyway, the cities of refuge,
until their case was heard, to see whether it was by mistake,
they could go to these cities. And then, if indeed it was heard
that it was a mistaken murder, they would stay in these cities.
They were not to go out of them. If they went out of the city
of refuge, then they could be destroyed by those of the family
that could take revenge. But if they stayed in the city,
they were safe. And then the time when the high
priest would die, then they could be released from the city and
go back to their home. And these were the Old Testament
rules under the times of the children of Israel. Friends,
but oh how it speaks spiritually. You see, there is that refuge
in the wounded side of Jesus. And sinners can go to him, and
he is a fortress to them. And whatever their besetting
sins, whatever the nature of their vile bodies. You know friends,
this text came to me, I've had to walk in it since in providential
ways, but it came to me in a spiritual way because I felt on Monday
really such a, well I felt to be such a hypocrite standing
in the pulpit and I'm such a vile wretch in and out. I felt that
friends and we read it in one of the hymns, that dungeon of
blackness in our heart. And, oh, friends, when the Lord,
when the Spirit designs to show, the hymn says, the badness of
our heart, then we stand even shocked at times. I don't know
if I can get to that hymn. Yes, when the Spirit descends
to show the badness of our hearts, astonished at the amazing view,
the soul with horror starts. the dungeon opening foul as hell,
its loathsome stench emits. That's how we appeared. And oh,
we felt that the Lord led us to this word through our thoughts,
this only refuge we've got against sin. Yes, a refuge for sinners. The gospel makes known, it is
found in the merits of Jesus. alone. The weary, the tempted
and burdened by sin were never exempted from entering therein. Oh friends, what a mercy. We
don't have to go and find one of those six cities of refuge,
but there's a refuge in him. Oh friends, for our sins and
this refuge that was through the wounded side of Jesus. But
this speaks, friends, our text speaks of God the Father. God
is our refuge. And that's a great mercy, isn't
it? That we are taught a little of
the mysteries of the Trinity, but God is our refuge. God is our refuge. And you see,
friends, I heard your dear pastor speak
and say that there were those that say, and he doesn't feel
they're right, and I agree with him, that say we cannot pray
directly to the Father. You know, friends, He'll have
us to come there. You know, the very Lord's prayer,
as it's known, is to the Father. So God is our refuge and strength. Well, pray to Him as help. Pray
to God on high, I realize a free one, one free, are all one and
together. But you see, this is God. God
is our refuge and strength, and very present in those times of
trouble. May it be, it's a thought, friends,
this word refuge, you know, it's a place, as we said, of safety.
But it comes 30 times in scripture. 29 of them are in the Old Testament,
but 18 are in the Psalms. And you know, the Psalms are
real experimental language, I believe, that set forth those experiences
that the child of God will walk in. And you'll love the Psalms
if you're going to heaven. You really will, my friends.
We quoted in prayer, who so is wise, we were regarding the young
friends, really, and observing God's work and desiring it in
their lives. But for each of us, whoso is
wise and will observe these things, will observe that the Lord has
brought this into our pathway, will observe that this trouble
has come on account of sin, but will observe that it's His work
to bring us to walk nearer to Him. We've got no troubles, friends. If we go sailing on, we're in
a solemn place, as I said earlier, and oh, I wouldn't ask anyone
to pray for trouble. But if you pray for a closer
walk with God, as dear Calper did, you'll know trouble, you'll
have to. Because friends, it can only
be through sanctified trouble that you'll come to the Lord
and know something of him. But you see, it is this refuge and living in
the side. And whoso is wise and will observe
these things, even they shall understand the loving kindness
of the Lord. His loving kindness in being
a refuge, in setting himself up as a refuge, in sending his
son as a way of safety for the soul to be saved. You know, friends, you might
know, I'm sure you do, and you've heard of General Dobby that was,
the general given the job of managing the defense of Malta
in the Second World War between 1940 and 1942. He wrote a book of his memoirs
of that period and it was named this, A Very Present Help. Why? Because he was one who feared
God, I knew every morning they would
have a prayer meeting before the day, and how in that period
they saw remarkable deliverances. Malta was a staging post that
would have been most useful for either the Germans or the Italians
to have taken. There were some 2,000 air raids
during those two years. It was amazing, but the little
island stood firm, and the little island did it through prayer.
And he records that in his book. Ah, friends, a very present help. And what trouble they were in.
And so it is, friends, for you in providence and grace this
morning, he's a very present help. You might say, well, I
don't feel his presence in this trouble. This trouble is taking
hold of me and I feel to be far off from God. And I feel alone.
I feel There's none that can help me. Friends, I do believe in those
circumstances when the Lord brings us to the throne of grace. We
come away and we feel. We do feel. He does give us a
little strength to believe. It records in the word thou hast
a little strength. I think in the revelation, and
I do a little strength. You know, I remember my dear
dad ringing me from Australia on a Saturday evening for him
and morning for me, and he said, I've got no word for tomorrow.
He said, and I just feel I've got no strength. And well, I
don't know, the Lord gave me that and I can't find a word
immediately. But I said, there's that lovely
word, thou hast a little strength. That's it, I know thy works,
behold I've set before thee an open door, no man can shut it,
for thou hast a little strength in this, and has kept my word,
and has not denied my name. And I quoted it to him, well
he didn't comment to me. The next day it was his text.
And friends, he did ring later on the following week, and he
said that was such a time of help to me. You see, the Lord's
people have brought that they have no strength of their own,
no strength. And yet, you see, their strength
is to sit still, their strength is to watch and to see him working. But he will bring us to those
places where we completely lack any strength and help. You see,
David writes, and we don't know with Psalm 46 whether he was
the author of this or not. We're not told that. But he writes
in Psalm 3, Thou, Lord, art a shield for me, and my glory, and I love
this, the lifter up of mine head. Because when we're in trouble,
friends, our heads droop. The lifter up of mine head. Perhaps
that's what you need this morning. You need to feel if I can find
that, as in the Song of Solomon, when he says this, his left hand
is under my head. The lifter up of mine head, says
the song, his left hand is under my head, and his right hand does
embrace me. Friends, this is the refuge,
this is the rock, this is the one alone. Whatever you've got
this morning, whatever you've got before you, and it might
be a mountain, He's the refuge, you know. Oh, may we be helped
to pour it before him. Again, he speaks in Psalm 9,
which was also David. Oh, didn't he know the need of
a refuge? The Lord will also be a refuge for the oppressed. A refuge in times of trouble. And they that know thy name will
put their trust in thee. So on, friends, as you read it
through this, the Psalms, Psalm 27, he says, in the time of trouble,
he shall hide me in his pavilion, his pavilion, which in the margin
is a large tent. Again, friends, you see, that's
a provision that in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide
me and he shall set me up upon a rock. You see, This pavilion
that he places you in, this large tent, a place of safety. And it will be from those that
come against you, and it may be there are those that are against
you at the moment, but the Lord of hosts is with us. We read
in our psalm that we've got before us, the God of Jacob is our refuge,
sealer. You know, Remember once giving
out that hymn 136 at Staplehurst. I didn't say a word to anybody,
we gave it out. It's God our refuge, and the
words above it, dear refuge of my weary soul. Tell it where
you are, friends, weary of earth, myself, and sin, dear Jesus,
set me free. Oh, what a place to be. You know,
my dear mother-in-law quoted that one day. A place to be. That's a spiritual place. That's
a place where the Lord's being a refuge, you know. It's not
in nature, but dear refuge of my weary soul. On thee when sorrows
rise, on thee when waves of trouble roll, my fainting hope relies. To thee I tell each rising grief. Well, friends, what a word for
you and I this morning. For thou alone canst heal. Thy
word can bring a sweet relief for every pain. I feel, and so
on, dear Ann Steele, that she penned that, what a pathway she
had of trial and trouble. And so, friends, we come to these
places, don't we, where we must have a refuge. Are you there this morning? Well,
may the Lord bring this word, may he show you your need of
it. If you're not there, And may
you be strengthened perhaps by the eye of memory as we started
our sermon with those two lines that our friend was in that hymn
that he chose. You see friends, it may be that
the Lord has to bring something back to your memory and then
you will find he's a refuge in that way. He has his way to work. Whatever his way is, there are
paths finding out. but he will comfort you in your
time of need, in your time of sorrow. I verily believe it.
God is a refuge and strength. And one word that comes to me,
and it's in Jeremiah, alas, for that day is great. And that's
how it might feel for you, a day of great trouble. Alas, for that
day is great, so that there is none like it. It is even the
time of Jacob's trouble, but, He shall be saved out of it. Amen. We'll close this morning with
hymn 247, tune Kilmarnock 856. O Lord, I would delight in Thee,
and on Thy care depend, to Thee in every trouble flee, my best,
my only friend. Hymn 247, tune Kilmarnock 856. For I would delight in thee,
and all thy care depend. Turning in ev'ry trouble, Give
my best, my ev'ry friend. When all creation's dreams are
tried, I hope that it's the same. May I with this feast satisfy
that glory in thy name. Why should the soul and drop
be heard Who has a fountain in the earth? Oh, come take me to Everland
With water sweet and clear Like earthen creatures can be
found, but may be found in thee. ? Thy merciful kings and helpers
? ? How good is God to me ? ? When at time of need ? a stronger
faith, to work in the field, to pray Watch my saviour, sir, whose
word can never fail. He that hath made my head secure
? To Him who could provide ? ? While Christ is rich I vow ? ? Be poor
but care I want beside ? O God, I cast my care, Only my
triumph at the door. Dear Lord, do you forgive anything
thy pure eyes have seen amiss in our worship this morning?
We do pray, Lord, it might be of help to a poor soul somewhere. Lord, we plead that thou would
come up again this afternoon and graciously help us and remember
us in the interval of service. Lord, now may the grace of the
Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the
Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.