um Let us commence our service this
afternoon by singing together hymn number 1134. The tune is
Astley Park, 705. Come, gracious Spirit, heavenly
dove, with light and comfort from above, our waiting souls
set free. Be thou our guardian, thou our
guide, o'er every thought and step preside, and draw us after
thee. Hymn 1134. Spirit, help me up with light
and comfort from above. I'm waiting, so set free. ? Be thou our guardian, thou our
guide ? ? O'er ev'ry foe and treacherous fight ? ? And draw
us not into temptation ? ? From ev'ry stake and humble stand
? ? And win an holy grave ? ? How bright thy world and host of
spirits ? and teach us lessons how to live
and the means to live. And in His love we believe Him,
All in His name we believe. ? That precious love so heavenly
dear ? ? Her courage and her strength renewed ? ? And faith
and promise ever true ? Let us read together from the
Holy Word of God in Psalm 37. Psalm 37. Threat not thyself
because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers
of iniquity. for they shall soon be cut down
like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the
Lord, and do good, so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily
thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the Lord,
and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way
unto the Lord, trust also in him, and he shall bring it to
pass. And he shall bring forth thy
righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the new day.
Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him. Fret not thyself because
of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth
wicked devices to pass. Cease from anger and forsake
wrath, fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. For evildoers
shall be cut off, but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall
inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the
wicked shall not be, yea, thou shalt diligently consider his
place, and it shall not be. but the meek shall inherit the
earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. The
wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his
teeth. The Lord shall laugh at him, for he seeth that his day
is coming. The wicked have drawn out the
sword, and have bent their bow to cast down the poor and needy,
and to slaves such as be of upright conversation. Their sword shall
enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken. A
little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of
many wicked. For the arms of the wicked shall
be broken, but the Lord upholdeth the righteous. The Lord knoweth
the days of the upright, and their inheritance shall be forever.
They shall not be ashamed in the evil time, and in the days
of famine they shall be satisfied. But the wicked shall perish,
and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fatted lambs. They
shall consume, into smoke shall they consume away. The wicked
borroweth and payeth not again, but the righteous showeth mercy
and giveth. For such as be blessed of him
shall inherit the earth, and they that be cursed of him shall
be cut off. The steps of a good man are ordered
by the Lord, and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he
shall not be utterly cast down, For the Lord upholdeth him with
his hand. I have been young, and now am
old. Yet have I not seen the righteous
forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. He is ever merciful and
lendeth, and his seed is blessed. Depart from evil and do good,
and dwell for evermore. For the Lord loveth judgment,
and forsaketh not his saints. They are preserved for ever,
but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off. The righteous shall
inherit the land and dwell therein for ever. The mouth of the righteous
speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment. The law
of his God is in his heart. None of his steps shall slide.
The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him. The
Lord will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he
is judged. Wait on the Lord, and keep his
way, and he shall exhort thee to inherit the land. When the
wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it. I have seen the wicked
in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree,
yet he passed away, and lo, he was not. Yea, I sought him, but
he could not be found. Mark the perfect man, and behold
the upright, for the end of that man is peace. But the transgressors
shall be destroyed together, The end of the wicked shall be
cut off. But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord.
He is their strength in the time of trouble. And the Lord shall
help them and deliver them. He shall deliver them from the
wicked and save them because they trust in him. May the Lord bless the reading
of his own precious word. and grant unto us a spirit of
real prayer. Almighty, most merciful and eternal
God, we do desire to bow before thy great majesty, to call upon
thy great and holy name. We desire, O Lord, a spirit of
true worship. We desire the spirit of faith,
that worketh by love. We desire, Lord, the hope which
may think not ashamed, and that we desire union and communion
with Jesus Christ, that I may know him in the power of his
resurrection, in the fellowship of his suffering. O gracious
God, we do pray that thou wilt grant us a clear view this afternoon
hour of the glory of Christ in heaven, sitting at thy right
hand, the omnipotent Saviour. We think of those precious words,
Alleluia, for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. And Lord Jesus, we
think of those precious words, all power is given unto me in
heaven and in earth. Therefore we come to thee. in
expectation of answers to prayer, not that we deserve them. We're
sinners, we're unrighteous, we're unclean. And O Lord, we hang
our heads in shame, like thy servant Daniel, shame and confusion
of face belongeth unto us as at this day, for we have sinned. Gracious God, we pray to be delivered
from those sins. We pray to be washed in the precious
blood of the Lamb, to cleanse us from all our unrighteousness. Oh, we pray that thou would come
and stand in our midst, even here today, that we may behold
thy glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,
full of grace and truth. We pray that we may see thy glory,
the altogether lovely one, the chiefest among 10,000, whose
legs are as pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold. O thy love, Lord Jesus, is an
everlasting love, and we pray that we may be partakers of that
love here this afternoon, a realization in our very souls. Yea, I have
loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore with loving kindness
have I drawn thee. Oh, that we might know those
sweet drawings of our eternal Father here this afternoon, as
we gather around thy word, O Lord, we do beseech thee. We pray to
be led of the Spirit of God, for as many as are led by the
Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. May we have that evidence,
O Lord, among us here, that we are indeed led by the Spirit
of God. that there may be the spirit
of power, the spirit of wisdom, the spirit of grace and of supplications
with thanksgiving, how dependent we are upon the Holy Ghost, the
divine spirit of the living God. We pray that most gracious Lord
that we may be led of thy spirit into the wonderful truth as it
is in Jesus, There is one God and one mediator between God
and man, the man Christ Jesus, who gave his life of ransom for
all to be testified in due time. Lord, we come in his name. We
plead his precious blood and righteousness. Oh, we pray that
thou would bless us as a church and as a congregation. Remember
our brethren, the deacons, and give needed grace, wisdom, and
help to them. Remember each one of our brethren
and sisters in church fellowship, and bless them indeed. Help us
to love each other, serve each other, and bear each other's
burdens, thereby fulfilling the law of Christ. Lord, we do pray
that thou wouldst graciously enable us to live as we ought
to live, and to do what we ought to do. But while our days on
earth are lengthened, may we give them, Lord, to Thee. We
do humbly beseech Thee. We pray for grace to present
our bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto Thee,
which is our reasonable service, and be not conformed to this
world. But may we be transformed by the renewing of our minds
that we might know what that good and perfect and acceptable
will of the Lord is. O Lord, we do pray that thou
wouldst graciously lead us forth in the footsteps of the flock.
And Lord, we pray thy blessing upon the whole of our congregation.
We think there are those of us, O Lord, in the evening time of
life's journey Lord, we pray for that gracious preparation
and expectation of eternal glory, that we may be found looking
and hastening unto the great day of the Lord, and that we
may be ready and prepared for that day. And, O Lord God, we
do pray that thou, in thy precious mercy, would grant that our last
days may be our best days. And we have to and view the year
already past and see great cause to be abashed. And O Lord, we
pray for thy forgiving love, all our sins and our wanderings
in this wilderness journey. Lord, we pray that thou wouldst
graciously be with those that have been bereaved. We think
of the sorrow in church and family at Bethel-Luton today. Pray that thou wouldst draw near
to them and graciously bless them, the dear widow in particular. We do humbly beseech them. We pray for any others that are
walking the path of bereavement, that thy divine help and grace
may be given. They have said in thy word, I
will not leave you comfortless. I will come to you. We pray most
gracious Lord, that thou wouldst remember the little ones and
the children that come into the sanctuary. We love to see them,
we love to hear them. Lord, bless them indeed, and
graciously grant that they may seek thee early. And remember,
O Lord, we do pray thee that the dear young friends preserve
and keep them from all evil, bring them each to living faith
in Jesus Christ, be with them in all their concerns, in all
the things that concern them, whether it's in their education
or employment, whatever it is, O Lord, that burdens their heart,
we lovingly commend them to Thee and to the word of Thy grace,
which is able to build them up and to grant them an inheritance
among them that are sanctified. Remember the prodigals that have
wandered from the sanctuary Have mercy upon them, cause them to
be in want, cause them to return. And may we be watching and waiting
for them. We do humbly beseech thee. And
Lord God, we pray that thou would remember each and every one in
the midst of the journey of life. Grant thy gracious help. Parents
in the bringing up of their children, give them wisdom and grace. but graciously bless the families
together. May the family altar be raised.
May the word of God be read. May there be that sanctifying
influence in the family. We do humbly beseech thee. We
pray that the wonderful glory, light, and power of the gospel
may shine into this village, the surrounding villages in Hamlet,
precious souls may be gathered in. The Lord Jesus exalted, sinners
gathered unto him, for unto him shall the gathering of the people
be. Oh Lord, that it may be so, that we may be favoured to see
an ingathering, that we may be favoured to see the pulling down
of the strongholds of Satan and the setting up of the kingdom
of the Lord Jesus in the hearts of sinners. O Lord of hosts,
O God of Israel, O Thou that dwellest between the cherubim,
shine forth. We do humbly beseech Thee. Let
Thy hand be upon the man of Thy right hand, the Son of man, whom
Thou madest strong for Thyself, so will not we turn back from
Thee. Turn us again, O God of hosts,
and cause Thy face to shine, and we shall be saved. We thank
thee for that wonderful glory that there is in Christ Jesus.
We thank thee that a fullness resides in Jesus our head and
ever abides to answer our need. We thank thee for the glory of
his person, for the fullness of his grace, for that glorious
light that shines. May it shine here this afternoon.
We do humbly beseech thee, and may grace triumphant reign, and
Christ exalted be, and sinners deserve in endless pain thy great
salvation see. Oh, hear us, Lord. We do humbly
beseech of thee. We pray for any Lord in any particular
trouble, or trial, or perplexity, or sorrow, that thou wouldst
graciously support. We pray where it is, consistent
with thy heavenly mind, that thou wouldst be Jehovah Rophi.
I am the Lord that healeth thee. Heal us, Emmanuel, here we are,
waiting to feel thy touch. Deep-wounded souls, to thee repair,
and, Saviour, we are such. Remember all thy servants as
they labour in word and doctrine upon the walls of Zion today.
Grant that they may dip their foot in oil and be made acceptable
unto the brethren. Grant that the word preached
may be in power in the Holy Ghost and with much assurance. Gracious
God, incline thine ear, we do beseech thee for thy great namesake. Be with us as we turn to thy
holy word and open thy word to our heart and to our understanding.
We thank thee for the glories of We thank Thee for the law
fulfilled and honoured in His glorious person and everlasting
righteousness brought in. Oh, we thank Thee for Calvary,
for the precious blood of the Lamb, that all our sins and iniquities
have been cast behind Thy back. Gracious God, we do thank Thee
for the wonders of redeeming love. We thank Thee that He died
for our sins and rose again for our justification, and has now
bodily ascended into heaven and sitteth at thy right hand, and
through him we know the love of our eternal Father, and through
him we receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. We thank thee for
these wonderful truths, these precious doctrines, for the eternal
covenant ordered in all things and sure, We ask for Jesus Christ's
sake. Amen. Let us now sing together hymn
number 554. The tune is Euphany 786. Thy presence, gracious God, afford. Prepare us to receive thy word. Now let thy voice engage our
ear and faith be mixed in with what we hear. Thus, Lord, Thy
waiting servants bless and crown thy gospel with success. Hymn 454. ? As one heart and voice ? ? In
heaven and on earth sing ? And take me with thee and walk
with me. ? Those who by faith ? ? Take services
? ? And will by God ? ? Serve with substance ? ? In some sense ? ? Distractive
voice ? ? And death-tripper ? ? And piercer ? ? Heavens above ? ? With the divine
? ? May we be blest ? ? May we pray ? ? Bless you, thy
great ? ? Distinguished guests ? ? And crown thy good ? ? Wisdom says ? ? Ever proud thy
gospel ? ? Wisdom says ? ? Teach us the ways of the world ? ? Wisdom and power ? ? And unity
? ? Let there be ? ? A new encounter ? ? In Israel, where you did not
begin ? ? Thus, Lord, I wait in serpent's nest ? Oh, say does that star-spangled
banner yet I shall with him teach us to
follow, and if I will, I'll take him home and love him ? And guide us in the right path
today ? ? The short highway takes the hellish way ? ? And crown thy good ? ? With brown
hair ? ? And crown thy good ? ? With brown hair ? Greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help, I would direct your attention to Psalm 37, and
we'll read verse 23 for our text. Psalm 37, verse 23. The steps
of a good man are ordered by the Lord. and he delighteth in his way. The steps of a good man are ordered
by the Lord, and he delighteth in his way. The psalmist, he says, order
my footsteps in thy word. And in another place he says,
Let thy word be a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. You know, the word of God is
that which is principally used in the leading of God's people.
The Holy Spirit making the word of God a living word in our hearts
and guiding us in the right way. We read in Psalm 107, and he
led them forth by the right way unto a city of habitation. You know, what is the right way
doesn't always seem so to us. The Lord sometimes can lead us
into some quite difficult pathways and we fear that we're in the
wrong way. He led them forth by the right
way. It's a great mercy, my beloved friends, if we are indeed being
led by the Lord. We read in Romans chapter eight
that as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons
of God. It's a mark that we're one of
the sons and daughters of the Lord God Almighty, when we are
led by the Lord, when he guides us and directs us in that right
way. Now, in this Psalm 37, there
is a constant comparing of the righteous and the wicked. And some very solemn things are
said about the wicked and some very sacred things are said about
the righteous. But there is some clear direction
given to us, even right in the commencement of the psalm, fret
not thyself. Fret not thyself. How we become
fretful. Maybe with the things that are
going on in the world. Maybe the things that are going
on in the Church of God. Maybe things in your family.
Maybe various circumstances. And you get very fretful. Because of what is going on.
Here it says, fret not thyself because of evildoers. neither
be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down
like the grass and wither as the green herb. You notice the
comparison between the righteous and the wicked. And we have some
words of direction here. Delight thyself also in the Lord,
and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. But first things
first, delight thyself also in the law. Seek ye first the kingdom
of heaven and my righteousness, and all these things, that's
providential things, all these things shall be added unto you.
If we're not careful, friends, we can become and get things
out of balance. so that we're constantly fretting
ourselves about providential things, but we leave aside the
weightier things of eternity and being prepared for eternity,
and so we get things in the wrong order. But the exhortation is,
is to trust in the Lord and do good, so shalt thou dwell in
the land, and to delight thyself in the Lord, so that he's first, that you may be enabled to love
him. Has he raised you to a hope? Thou shalt love the Lord thy
God. You know, when the Divine Spirit, at working in the heart,
brings us to a knowledge of ourselves and a knowledge of Christ, Raises
us up to a hope in him Gives us to feel our need and then
he shows us where that need will be supplied You see delight thyself in the
Lord David he says in Psalm 116 I
love the Lord Because he has heard my voice the voice of my
supplication Great mercy if you've been brought to love the Lord.
We love him because he first loved us. Then the exhortation here is
to trust him and to delight thyself also in the Lord. And he shall
bring forth thy righteousness as the light. You think of our
text, the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. And
here we have a word in verse five, a well-known word, Commit
thy way unto the Lord. Trust also in Him, and He shall
bring it to pass. Looking unto Jesus. You know,
the way I see it here in this psalm, and it says on a number
of occasions, fret not thyself. The great antidote to this fretting
is to look to Jesus. the great king and head of the
church, the almighty, the almighty savior, with heaven and earth
at his command, he waits to answer prayer. He's the sovereign ruler
of the skies. He's ever gracious, ever wise. He makes no mistakes. Do you
believe that? You know, when we're fretting,
it's because we don't believe that. is because we've lost sight
of King Jesus. His almighty arm, his almighty
power, his ability to say. We lose sight of that. We get
blinded by the spirit of unbelief. But if the divine spirit work
in faith in your heart and you get a view of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the great king and head of the church, all power is given
unto me in heaven and in earth He makes no mistakes. And he
can never fail. I often think of that in Isaiah
42. He will not fail. He shall not
fail. It's a prophecy concerning Christ.
He shall not fail. Sometimes our pathways are very
difficult and we become, what you might say, over-anxious about
things and we get very fretful. But this is the antidote. Says
it in verse seven, rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him. Fret not thyself because of him
who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked
devices to pass. Fret not thyself. Now, the other
words of direction we have here, cease from anger. You know, sometimes
we can get so stirred up and we get so angry about something
that's happening, this is happening, and we get tempted by the enemy
to do something. To rise up and do something.
Even something that is completely wrong. And you try and make an
excuse as to why you should do it. Why you should take the law
into your own hands. Cease for anger. And forsake
wrath. fret not thyself in any wise
to do evil these are words of direction yet steps of a good
man are ordered by the Lord and this is the way the Lord speaks
to his people the powers that be are ordained of God and I
often point out to you in the apostles days when he wrote those
things they were heathen powers But he still saw that the powers
that be are ordained of God and that we should submit ourselves
unto them. For he says here, evildoers shall
be cut off, but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit
the earth. You see how many times we're
exhorted in God's holy word to wait on the Lord. Wait on the
Lord, be of good courage. Wait, I say, upon the Lord. Or as the Apostle puts it in
the Hebrews chapter 12, let us lay aside everyone and the sin
that does so easily beset us and let us run with patience
the race that is set before us. Now, like I was saying, the antidote
to this fretfulness, looking unto Jesus. the author and finisher
of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured
the cross, despising the shame thereof, and is now set down
at the right hand of the majesty on high. Now, it says in verse
10, for yet a little while and the wicked shall not be, yea,
thou shalt diligently consider his place. and it shall not be. You see, he says here in this
psalm, I've seen the wicked spreading himself like a green bay tree.
I've seen the wicked in great power and spreading himself like
a green bay tree. Yet he passed away, and lo, he
was not. Yea, I sought him, but he could
not be found. You see, these things My beloved
friends, I've written for our instruction. And the Lord leads
his people. He gives us counsel in his word.
You know, the Lord's servant Asaph, he obviously lived in
a time when the church was in a very low place. And he himself,
in some of the Psalms, he gets himself into a very low place. My mind, it just goes to, psalm
73 and in psalm 73 he says but as for me verse 2 my feet were
almost gone my steps had well and i slipped this is when he saw what was
happening for i was envious at the foolish when i saw the prosperity
of the wicked seeing it greatly troubled the dear man and he
goes through a whole list here of the wicked and verse 11 he
says how does god know and is their knowledge in the most high
behold these are the ungodly who prosper in the world they
increase in riches verily this is asap verily i've cleansed
my heart in vain and washed my hands in instances all the day
long have I been plagued and chastened every morning. If I
say I will speak thus, behold, I should offend against the generation
of thy children, that's the Lord's children. When I thought to know
this, it was too painful for me, until I went into the sanctuary
of God, then understood I their end. You see, it was when he
was brought into the sanctuary to weigh things up by the word
of God, and then he was given a right judgment, then he was
given a right understanding. Just as David was in this psalm,
when he speaks of the wicked and the righteous, he was given
a right understanding. You see, my beloved friends,
we need to be brought in the Spirit into the house of God.
You know, speaking here in our text as it does, the steps of
a good man are ordered by the Lord. You look at the latter
part of Psalm 73. You see, he says in verse 22,
so foolish was I and ignorant, I was as a beast before thee.
And yet look at how he says, nevertheless, I am continually
with thee. This is what he saw in the sanctuary.
Thou hast holden me by my right hand, thou shalt guide me with
thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. This is what he
saw. Whom have I in heaven but thee?
And there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. My
flesh and my heart faileth, but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever. For lo, they that are far from
thee shall perish. Thou shalt destroy all them that
go a-whoring from thee. But it is good for me to draw
near to God. I have put my trust in the Lord
God, that I may declare thy works. You see, it wasn't until he went
into the sanctuary of God, when he was weighed in the balances
of the sanctuary, And then he was brought to see
the Lord's ways. God's ways are just, his counsels
wise, no darkness can prevent his eyes, no thought can fly
nor thing can move, unknown to him that sits above. A little
meditation, my beloved friends, and call into mind the greatness
of God and the power of God and the wisdom of God and the love
of God in Christ. The power of his love. it'll
balance your mind, it'll quieten your spirit. I've often told
you of a time when in great trouble and had been for many, many weeks
and went off for a walk, it was probably four o'clock in the
morning, I couldn't sleep, I was so troubled and as I walked across
the fields, so troubled and perplexed, And those words from Daniel dropped
into my heart with such heavenly power. But there's a God in heaven.
You might say, what a simple thing, you knew that already.
Ah, but when the Lord speaks into your heart, and when you
meditate on it, and when the Lord opens your mind a little,
enlarges your coast, and you meditate on it, you realize there's
nothing wrong. the sovereign ruler of the skies,
is ever gracious, ever wise. All my times, David says, doesn't
he? All my times are in thy hand.
All events at thy command. It's all in the hand of God.
It is. Oh, that the Lord would bring
us to more clearly see it, that everything is in the Lord's hand.
He worketh all things after the counsel of his own will. He does. He always has. And he
always will. He has all nature at his command. Well, look at the disciples as
they crossed over the Sea of Galilee. And Jesus, being weary
with his journey, he slept. He was asleep. And a great storm
came. And so great was that storm They
thought the ship was going to sink. And they went to the Lord
Jesus and woke him up and said, Lord, save us or we perish. And he arose and he rebuked the
winds and the sea. And there was a great calm. And
the disciples said, what manner of man is this? That even the
winds and the sea obey him. You see, they saw the power of
Christ over nature, over the wind, over the sea, over the
waves. He has power over everything. He has everything in his hand.
Christ does, put there by his eternal Father, and put there
for us, for it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness
dwell. In him dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily. The steps of a good man are ordered. In the margin, in the place of
ordered, it says established. The steps of a good man are established
by the Lord. They are. And he delighteth in
his way. The Lord delights in the way
of his people. He orders. Doesn't one of the
hymn writers, he takes up the words of the psalm, order my
footsteps in thy word? Oh, my beloved friends, is that
how you come? You come to the house of God
desiring to be led and taught and guided and directed by the
Lord? Oh, that the Lord may enable
you day by day to do what we're exhorted to do here in this psalm,
commit thy way. Doesn't matter how small that
way is, how great that way is, commit thy way unto the Lord. And he shall bring it to pass,
the Lord will. The trouble is that we try to
bring this to pass and bring that to pass and something else
to pass and we fail. But the exhortation is not for
you, to bring it to pass, it's for the Lord to bring it to pass.
Wait on the Lord. You see, wait on Him all the
time, but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount upon wings as
eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and
not faint. They that wait upon the Lord.
Are you waiting upon the Lord? You know, I often quote it to
you, but it's Joseph Hart's hymn, isn't it? When he speaks of how
we fill our fellow creatures' ears with the sad tale of all
our woe. Because of this has happened
and that's happened and something else has happened. But what does
Joseph Hart say? And he's right in what he says. Pour not on thyself too long. else to have sent thee lower.
Look to Jesus, firm and strong, mercy joined with power. Were far more breath thus vainly
spent to heaven in supplication sent, our cheerful song would
often be, hear what the Lord has done for me. The steps of
a good man are ordered by the Lord and he delighteth in his
way. Ordered by God. You know, the
Lord's servant, Jeremiah, how the Lord, when he was a very
young man, in actual fact, according to what we read in Jeremiah chapter
one, he was a child. But you see, the Lord was guiding
him to be a prophet to the nation. And he felt completely inadequate. He couldn't do it. And you notice
in this Jeremiah chapter one, and it says then, verse four,
then the word of the Lord came unto me saying, before I formed
thee in the belly, I knew thee. And before thou camest forth
out of the womb, I sanctified thee. And I ordained thee a prophet
unto the nations. Now look at the response of Jeremiah.
Then said I, Our Lord God, behold, I cannot speak, for I am a child. And the Lord said unto me, Say
not, I am a child. For thou shalt go to all that
I shall send thee. And whatsoever I command thee,
thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces,
for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord. Then the
Lord put forth his hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said unto
me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. See, I have this
day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms to root
out, to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build and
to plant. See that was the Lord's word
unto his servant Jeremiah. And he says in verse 17, thou
therefore gird up thy loins and arise, and speak unto them all
that I command thee. Be not dismayed at their faces,
lest I confound thee before them. For behold, I have made thee
this day a defence city, and an iron pillar, and brazen walls
against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the
princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against
the people of the land. Not comfortable words, are they?
And they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail
against thee, for I am with thee, saith the Lord, to deliver thee. And I remember when the Lord
spoke those words to me, they were the first words the Lord
spoke to me, breathed into my very heart concerning the ministry. I'd been exercised about the
ministry for three years at that time, but the Lord hadn't spoken
any words. It was just this burden, this
exercise in my heart that I would have to preach. I was saying to you this morning
about our inner spiritual exercises. Sometimes they come and sometimes
they go. And it was like that with the
exercise to the ministry. Sometimes it came, sometimes
it went. Sometimes it was there, sometimes
it wasn't there. And I wasn't sure until I transferred
my membership from Westerning to Black Boys when I got married.
And my late pastor gave me that word in Isaiah 54. And I shall
never forget the power that that word entered my heart. I knew
immediately what it meant. I'd been waiting on the Lord
for divine direction. And I didn't want to, as it were,
do anything except what the Lord wanted me to do. And, you know,
when he read that text out, and Isaiah 54, the last verse, no
weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper, and every
tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness
is of me, saith the Lord. The power, you know, over the
subsequent months as I thought upon those words, and there was
something within me that recoiled. You might say, what do you mean?
There would be weapons that would be formed. It was very obvious,
very clear. But the Lord's promise is that
none of those weapons would prosper. No weapon that is formed against
you shall prosper. You see, in every tongue that
shall rise against the Injudgment, You know, friends, you probably
don't realize it, but the Lord's servants, they often have people
rise up against them in judgment. They disagree with what they're
saying. They disagree with what they're preaching. But you see,
the promise of the Lord is that none of these things should move us. And the same
word to Jeremiah. None of these things should move
us. These things will happen, and that is what the Lord is
showing us. Those weapons will be formed, but they will not
prosper. The steps of a good man are ordered
by the Lord, and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he
shall not be utterly cast out, for the Lord upholdeth him with
his hand. You see, the Lord guides and
directs, I think of that word in Psalm 139 where David speaks
of the omnipresence of God. If I make my bed in hell, behold
thou art there. And then he says, if I go into
the uttermost parts of the sea, even there, even there shall
thy hand lead me and thy right hand shall hold me. See, The Lord will never leave
nor forsake his people. The Lord will always bless them,
support them, sustain them. How does he do that? By bringing
them closer to Christ. By bringing them to look unto
Jesus. By bringing them to cast all their care upon him. And
making them realize he careth for you. And there's a sweet
confidence it's called the confidence of faith and when we're brought
into that sweet confidence of faith then we shall know what
it is to rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him to rest
rest by faith in Jesus Christ to cast all our cares upon him
see in another place it says commit thy works unto the Lord. It's a beautiful word. Commit
thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established. It's this need, my beloved friends,
of constantly committing things to the Lord. It is one thing,
especially like we just referred to Jerry Meyer and to the ministry
of the word, that there's one thing with the servant of the
Lord It is the Lord who constantly and continually bring you into
a pathway that empties you, empties you, literally, so that you feel
you've got nothing. You may feel at times that you
cannot continue, you cannot go forward. But the just shall live
by his faith, and you have to keep going forward in faith.
You might say, what does it mean, going forward in faith? Looking
unto Jesus. That's what it means. cast in
all your care upon him, for he careth for you. Oh, that we may
be enabled to do that. And in this pathway that the
Lord leads his people in emptying them vessel to vessel, bringing
them to feel their utter helplessness and hopelessness and insufficiency. Why does the Lord do that? So
you trust in him, not in yourself, not in your own judgment, but
in the Lord's judgment so that we read the holy scriptures and
seek guidance from them and direction from the Lord in the holy scriptures
we seek under the ministry of the word when you're particularly
burdened and exercised about something and you commit it unto
the Lord and you come up to the house of God in an expectancy
that you'll receive divine direction in the way that you should go.
The steps of a good man. are ordered
by the Lord, and he delighteth in his way, you see, are established. Ordered, established. The Lord
exercises his people. You know, even when it comes
to the work of the ministry, the Lord exercises his servant,
but he will also exercise those in the church. concerning his
servant. He'll exercise the Lord's servant
regarding the ministry, but then he'll exercise those in the church
referring to him regarding the ministry. And so there's an exercise
bringing you together, guiding you, and directing you, so that
these things do not come to the church as a surprise. They're
expected, they're watched for, they're looked for. And you know,
you receive these directions when you're reading and meditating
in the Word. You know, friends, we miss out
on so much in a spiritual sense of divine guidance, et cetera,
when we do not read the Word of God. I mean, privately. Set
aside the time to read God's Word. and to seek the mind of
the Spirit and to seek the will of God both in your own pathway
and perhaps exercised about another concerning the things of God. And if we do not read and study
the Word of God we're much poorer spiritually because of it. But
those people that are truly spiritually minded they read God's Word,
they pray over God's Word They seek guidance in God's Word.
And by so doing, they become more spiritually minded. And
their heart and their affections are set upon things above. It's
what the Apostle Peter calls growing in grace. But growing
grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,
how do we grow in grace? By eating The bread of life,
which is Christ. By drinking the water of life,
which is Christ. By drinking the wine of the kingdom,
which is Christ. That's how we grow. That's how
we get stronger. It's being brought into closer
union and communion with Jesus Christ. And the closer that we're
brought into union with Christ, the more spiritually minded we
shall be. It's a great blessing to be made
spiritually minded. It's a great blessing when your
affections are set upon things apart. It's a great blessing
when the house of God becomes your chief concern. It is. And you can say with David, I
have loved the habitation of thy house and the place where
thine honour dwells. That's a great blessing. So that
instead of being so taken up with your employment or with
your business or with whatever it may be, your chief concern
is the house of God, the ways of God, and the truth of God. That is your chief concern for
the prosperity of Zion. And it's as we are made more
spiritually minded and our affection set upon things above, we should
then be able to say with David in Psalm 84, how amiable, the
word amiable means pleasant, how amiable are thy tabernacles,
O Lord of hosts. My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth
for the courts of the Lord. My heart and my flesh crieth
out for the living God. You see, there's a spiritual
exercise Yea, the sparrow hath found a house, and the swallow
a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine
altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. Blessed are they
that dwell in thy house. They dwell. David, he speaks,
of course, eternally, I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever. But here, he's speaking of the
house of the Lord on earth, Blessed are they that dwell in thy house.
They will be still praising thee, seer. You see, blessed is the
man whose strength is in thee. But the great painful thing that
we have to learn, when we prove our strength is in the Lord,
is our own weakness. That's what we have to prove,
we're weak. See, we're weak in ourselves.
The apostle had to go forward and preach. And he was weakened. He had a thorn in the flesh,
a messenger of Satan to buffet him. And the Lord does that with
his servants. They have a thorn in the flesh,
they have a messenger of Satan, which wisely hidden exactly what
that thorn was. You know if you've got a thorn
in the flesh. a messenger of Satan that buffets you. What does it do? It brings you
closer to the Lord. The apostle, he could say, when
I am weak, then am I strong. It's like a paradox, isn't it?
When I am weak, then am I strong. And he writes by that exhortation,
doesn't he? Be strong in the Lord and in
the power of his might. So friends, is to bring you into
closer union and communion with your Savior. And for you to grow
in grace, it's like John the Baptist said, I must decrease,
he must increase. He must increase. Oh, my dear
beloved friends, what a mercy if we know something of these
things. The steps of a good man are ordered
by the Lord. and he delighteth in his way.
You know, you'll have to keep asking for confirmations, and
the Lord will give them. He'll confirm it, and he'll confirm
it, and he'll confirm it, and then he will bring it to pass. Whatever that is that lays in
your heart, that burdens your soul, he will bring it to pass. He will lead you, and he led
them forth by the right way, unto a city of habitation. May the Lord add his blessing. Let us now sing together hymn
number 538. The tune is Winchester New 439. By nature, none of Adam's race
can boast of goodness in God's sight. Sin plunges them all in
sad disgrace. Now nothing merely human's right. Hymn 538. I wish upon a mountain, Seek not a holy settee's place,
Ne'er could he claim thee in his place. In the everlast round, in Christ
the dead. In my death, dear alteration, ? The holiness crown never fails
? ? In English and in English only ? Give them just this righteousness,
give it to them. Of this they sing, of this they
burst, The Lord, O Satan, can conquer. One in three, and three in one,
sets a pink finger in the grass. And there they make their wonders
known The everlasting praise and praise Like light and holiness divine,
How Jesus, made by faith receive, The Spirit makes His praises
shine and gives them power in Christ's name. May the grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the love of God the Father, the sacred fellowship of the
Holy Spirit, rest and abide with us each, both now and forevermore. Amen.