Well, let us turn once again
to the Word of God. And we turn to the chapter that
we read, the 16th chapter in the Gospel according to St. John,
and I want to read again the last two verses. John 16 and
verses 32 and 33. Behold, now cometh, yea, he is
now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own. and shall
leave me alone, and yet I am not alone, because the Father
is with me. These things I have spoken unto
you, that in me ye might have peace, in the world ye shall
have tribulation. But be of good cheer, I have
overcome the world." And in particular, it's the 32nd verse that I want
to center your attention upon this morning. Behold, the hour
cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered every man
to his own, and shall leave me alone, and yet I am not alone,
because the Father is with me. And our theme really is what
we have in the former part of this verse, that of the scattering
of the flock, the scattering of the flock, And it really is
a verse that came to me, I suppose, because of our experience on
the last Lord's Day. Remember last Lord's Day we had
great problems with Zoom and I feared that we were going really
to be scattered on that day. We've been able over these past
weeks during the lockdown to have these virtual services by
means of the internet, but they're not real services. One feels that. This is not true
corporate worship. There's no proper gathering together. That's the exhortation of Hebrews,
of course, we're not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. And I feel every time that we
meet, we are reminded that God's judgment is upon us, that that
judgment is mineral with mercies, in that this is such a merciful
provision that we can gather in this fashion. But last week,
of course, at one stage, one wondered, behold, the hour cometh,
yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his
own, says the Lord Jesus. In God's goodness, of course,
we were still able, with the help of our brother Peter Wilkins,
to make arrangements and to have a service in the afternoon and
then again in the evening by means of Webex. But, as I say,
it did make me think And these words at the beginning of verse
32 came to me really when I was contemplating, I think it was
on Wednesday, as to what subject I might try to take up this morning. And then I had a wonderful confirmation
because I started thinking about these things and then on Friday
when I turned to the daily portion in the book, Glimpses of Grace,
those daily readings from the sermons of Mr. Popham that our
brother Jim North published at the end of last year. When I
looked at the portion to be read on Friday, May the 22nd, lo and
behold, there at the head of the page was this passage, these
two verses at the end of John 16. And then I read And I'll
just read the beginning of the extract from the sermon. Remember
the words of what we have here in John 16, 32 and 33. And Mr. Popham says that, is the blessed
testimony of Christ that we are to have in some form tribulation. Then may God be found by us.
When a sinner has some trouble on him, when sin is a burden,
when distance from God is a grief, when temptation threatens to
overthrow, when darkness covers the mind, when perplexities are
about us so as to make the feet totter. Often such and such things
are upon a person, part of his daily life. Then he will find
God about him, seek him while he may be found. He is not far
from a person who has such necessity, such persecution, or trouble,
or tribulation upon him. And here we have the testimony,
of course, of the Lord Jesus Christ himself at the end of
the text. He is left alone. As he says, the disciples scattered,
going every man to his own, shall leave me alone, and yet I am
not alone. because the Father is with me. And what is true
in Christ is true also, of course, in all those who are in the Lord
Jesus Christ. But let us come to consider the
verse that's before us, this 32nd verse this morning. Believers, I say, are often those
who feel themselves to be rejected And that's how the chapter opens,
Reuben. The Lord says at verse one, these
things have I spoken unto you that ye should not be offended.
They shall put you out of the synagogue. Jay, the time cometh
that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. How often God's people are rejected
people in this world. They are people who are scattered. outcasts. Think of the words
that we have in the hymn 223, Lord pity outcasts, vile and
base, the poor dependents on thy grace, whom men disturb as
call, by sinner and by saint withstood. But these do bad for
those too good, condemned or shunned by all. How those people
often feel themselves to be isolated, alone. The psalmist felt it. He speaks of the sparrow alone
upon the housetop, and that was very much his experience. And
here the Lord speaks of his people being scattered, not only from
himself, but scattered one from another. We know that the event that came
upon them with the death of the Lord Jesus Christ was such a
tremendous blow, a shattering blow to them all. And he warns
them of these things. In Matthew's account, in Matthew
26, 31, he says, all ye shall be offended because of me this
night, for it is written I will smite the shepherds, and the
sheep of the flock shall be scattered. The Lord was aware of those things
that were to come upon him. He knew who it was that was going
to betray him, even Judas Iscariot. And remember what he says at
the end of the sixth chapter in this gospel, that chapter
that we refer to in times past as the chapter of the blessed
diminishing, the multitudes at the beginning, the feeding of
the 5,000, their desire to make him a king. And then the great
offense of his ministry as he begins to sift that company,
as it were, And at the end they're all departing, and it seems that
the twelve will depart. And the Lord says, to them will
ye also go away. And in Simon Peter, who boldly
comes forth and says, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words
of eternal life, and we believe and are sure that thou art that
Christ, the Son of the living God. But then the Lord, what
does he answer? Have not I chosen you twelve?
The one of you is a devil. He spake of Judas Iscariot, the
son of Simon. For he it was that should betray
him, being one of the twelve. Oh, it was Judas Iscariot then,
who was the disciple that even betrayed the Lord. And now the
Lord begins to speak of these things, even as he is observing
his final Passover with the disciples, that occasion when he institutes
the Holy Supper of the Lord. We have the record here in chapter
13, verse 21, how Jesus was troubled
in spirit and testified and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you,
that one of you shall be trained. Then the disciples looked, one
on another, doubting of whom he spoke. Now there was leaning
on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples whom Jesus loved. Simon Peter
therefore beckoned to him that he should ask who it should be
of whom he spake. He then lying on Jesus' breast
saith unto him, Lord, who is it? Jesus answered, He it is
to whom I shall give a sock when I have dipped it. And when he
had dipped the sock, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son
of Simon. And after the sock, Satan entered
into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That
thou doest do quickly. And then subsequently we see,
having received the sup, he went out immediately, and it was night. Oh, the Lord, he knew what was
going to befall him. He knew that one of his disciples,
one of the twelve, one of the apostles, he would betray him. When he comes to his great prayer,
his high priestly prayer, here in the 17th chapter. What
does he say, verse 12? While I was with them in the
world, I kept them in thy name. Those that thou gavest may I
have kept, and none of them is lost but the son of perdition,
that the scripture might be fulfilled. The word of God must have its
accomplishment. And so, there at the beginning
of the 18th chapter, we see the Lord going over the brook Kedron,
entering into the garden of Gethsemane, And then we're told Judas also,
which betrayed him, knew the plans. For Jesus of times resorted
thither with his disciples. Judas then, having received a
band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees,
came thither with lanterns and torches and weapons. For they've
come now to take the Lord, to arrest the Lord. It was Judas
who betrayed him. In Mark's account, we're told
at that time they all forsook him and fled. They didn't all
betray him. We're not saying that at all.
Of course they did not betray him. They were grieved, but they
all forsook him. Behold, the hour cometh, yea,
is now come that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own,
says the Lord Jesus. And we know that amongst Those
scattered disciples there was Simon Peter. And there Simon
Peter followed. But we're told how he followed
afar off. And then of course we're told
how alas, Peter denies the Lord. Peter denied the Lord. As the
Lord had said, before the cock crow, twice thou shalt deny me,
thrice. Though the Lord is ever mindful,
you see, of his disciples, even when they're scattered, even
when they're those who would deny, what does he say to Peter? There in Luke 22, 31, he uses
that name that was given to him. He was Simon, son of Jonas. The Lord had said at their first
meeting, there shall be called Cephas or Peter by interpretation
of stone. But that was the name of the
disciple, that was the name that the Lord gave to him as a converted
man. But now he is reminded of what he was by nature. When the
Lord speaks to him there in that verse, Luke 22, 31, Simon, Simon he
says, Satan hath desired to have you that he may Sift you as wheat,
but I have prayed for third, that thy faith fail not. And the beauty of our authorized
version, I remarked on it only on Thurston, how he addresses
Simon, but he speaks of all of them. He uses the plural, you,
the plural pronoun. Satan hath desired to have you,
that he may sift you. That's the disciples, the whole
company of them. Sift you as wheat. But, says
he to Simon, I have prayed for thee, the singular pronoun, that
thy faith fail not. Lord Peter certainly there knew
something of the trying of his faith. And he speaks of it, does
he not, in his first epistle, the trial of your faith, being
much more precious than of gold, though it be tried in the fire
may be found unto praise and honor and glory of the appearing
of Jesus Christ. The Lord says, when thou art
converted, when thou art restored, strengthen my brethren. Lord,
there is a scattering. There is a scattering of them.
There is a trial that comes upon them. But what do we see concerning
the trial that these men are experiencing at this time? that
awful trial that came upon them. It's the offense of the cross. This is why they are scattered,
every man to his own, because of that that is coming upon the
Lord Jesus Christ. What do we see here? Well, I
want to mention three things with regards to them in the midst
of this trial. First of all, and the trial is
sure, what does the Lord say? as he addresses them in this
32nd verse. Look at the very first word of
the text. He says, behold. Behold. And you know how significant
a word that is. It's a word we often find here
in Holy Scripture. And he does have some force to
it. It literally means, fix the eye. Look carefully. Listen closely. to what's being
said. Or the Lord goes on to say in
the following verse, in the world, ye shall have tribulation. We must, through much tribulation,
enter into the kingdom of God, says the apostle. And we made
some reference to this on Thursday, when we had our prayer meeting
and continued our consideration there of the Lord's prayer and
that petition and lead us not into temptation. And as I said,
it's one of the petitions of the prayer because in this life,
in this world, we are constantly surrounded by temptations on
every hand. They're on our right hand, on
our left hand, they're before us, they're behind us. Oh, the
devil is such a cunning, crafty foe. and we're not to be ignorant
of his devices. His present life is one in which
there will be temptations. It was so with the Lord. He says
to his own disciples at the end of his ministry, ye are they
which have continued with me in my temptations. Oh yes, there
was that great temptation at the beginning of his public ministry,
when he's led of the spirit into the wilderness. And he resists
the assaults of Satan, but the devil Left him only for a little
season, it says. The devil left him for a season.
And the devil comes again and again. There are temptations.
There's a trial. Beloved, think it not strange
concerning the fiery trial that is to try you as though some
strange thing happened unto you, says Peter. There in 1 Peter
4.12. Friends, we have to recognize
the trial is sure. And so it shouldn't surprise
us when suddenly we're confronted by that that was altogether unexpected. It's quite stunning in a way,
last Lord's Day morning, but I fear, you see, I'd taken too
much for granted. We'd been able to meet regularly
in this strange fashion, week by week, and also have a crowd
meeting on Thursdays, and all of a sudden, it seemed that we
would be unable to have any sort of service, there would be such
a scattering. We're not to be surprised by these things. The trial is so sure. And soon,
often, the trial comes so unexpectedly. It's a sudden trial. It's even
now. Look at what the Lord says at
the beginning of this text. Yahweh cometh, Yah is now come. It's all ready upon them. Isn't that so often the case?
We cannot avoid these things and they come and they do take
us and that's by surprise. And now the Lord is warning His
disciples of those things that will yet befall them. Those opening
words that we refer to just now, look at verse 2, they shall put
you out of the synagogue, yea, the time cometh that whosoever
killeth you will think that he doeth God's service. And these
things will they do unto you, because they have not known the
Father, nor me. For it is enough for the disciple
to be as his master. It was the Lord's experience.
And there we see him there in the Garden of Gethsemane as he
contemplates all that cross that lies before him, that great sin
atoning sacrifice that he must make. The very purpose of his
coming into the world, his obedience, is to be an obedience unto death,
even the death of the cross. And he says to those who come
to take him, this is your hour and the power of darkness. Your hour and the power of darkness.
This world, you see, this present world. And the darkness of the world,
You know, God's people at times have to walk in the midst of
that darkness. Yea, though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death. David says, I will fear no evil,
for thou art with me. And this is the Lord's comfort.
I am not alone. He says, the Father is with me. But furthermore, with regards
to this trial, as it is So sure, so certain, as it comes so soon
and so unexpectedly, there is also discomfort. The trial is
short. The trial is short. What does
the Lord say? Behold, the hour cometh. The hour cometh. It's just a
short while. As Peter says concerning the
trial, there in 1 Peter 1, 6, Now, he says, now for a season,
If need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations. Now, that means just now, at
this moment, for a season, for a little while, a short period
of time. If need be, or it's only if it's
necessary, that God will send it. It's a short trial. That's
our comfort. Now, I know at the moment there's
that sense in which we can say that God's judgments are accrued.
We've said it many a time. What's come upon the earth with
coronavirus is no mere accidental thing. It's God who's in all
of these things. Plagues and deaths around me
fly till he bids I cannot die. Not a single shaft can hit till
the God of love these fates," said John Ryland, Jr., how true
it is. But these things are flying around
us all the time. God's judgments are flawed. But
the comfort is this, that in the midst of judgment, God does
remember us. And I think of the words that
we have in Isaiah 54a. It says there, in a little wrath,
I hid my face from thee for a moment. But with everlasting kindness
will I have mercy on thee. In a little wrath, a little wrath. I hid my face, he says, for a
moment, just a moment, a brief time. But what is the contrast? Everlasting kindness. With everlasting
kindness will I have mercy on thee, says the Lord God. And
what is the Lord doing in these things? He is trying the faith
of these people. He is trying their profession
to see whether their faith is a genuine faith, a real faith,
a saving faith. The previous verse, verse 31,
Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe? And see the connection,
he asks that question and then he goes on, Do ye now believe?
Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be
scattered, every man to his own. Oh, what of our faith? when we're
scattered, where is it that we look? How we are to look to the
Lord himself, we're to look to our Lord Jesus Christ. And so
in the second place, I want us to do that, to turn to the second
part of the text, and to consider the Lord Jesus Christ himself. Behold the hour cometh, yea,
is now come that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own,
and shall leave me alone. And yet I am not alone, because
the Father is with me. Though we must tread the winepress
of the wrath of God alone. And what does he say? And yet, and yet, I am not alone,
because the Father is with me. And so to consider the Lord Jesus
Christ and what he is saying here with regards to himself.
He says quite clearly, the Father is with me. Now that is a truth
of course. He is the Son of God. He is one with the Father and
he is one with the Holy Ghost. We know that there is but one
God. We confess the unity of the Godhead. what God says to the children
of Israel back in Deuteronomy 6, 4, here he says, here the Lord our
God is one Lord. Here, O Israel. Oh, the God there
who is the God of Israel is one God. But the Lord Jesus can say
here in chapter 10 and verse 30 of John, I and my Father are
one. And as he is one with the Father,
so he is also one with the Holy Ghost. There is a trinity in
the Godhead. God is one, and God is three. There are three that bear record
in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these
three are one. And that God who is fully and
finally revealed in the coming of Christ in the New Testament
is the same God that we see there in the Old Testament. And we
know that in heaven the angels worship the triune God. What
is the song of the seraphim that Isaiah saw in his great vision
in chapter 6 of that book? Why the angels sing, holy, holy,
holy. Lord God of hosts. He is three times holy. He is
Holy Father, Holy Son, and Holy Spirit. And here we have the
Lord Jesus Christ and He is God. And He is God's manifest in the
flesh. When the fullness of the time
was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman made under
the Lord. unto us a child is born. Unto
us a Son is given, the eternal Son of God is given. The child
is born in that miracle of the Virgin's birth. He takes to himself
a human nature. All that holy thing that was
conceived by the Holy Ghost in the Virgin's womb is joined to
the eternal Son of God. And so we can say here, I am
not alone because the Father is with me the Father is always
with you because God is one and there's no division in the Godhead
and see how the Lord prays subsequently here in chapter 17 I have glorified
thee he says in verse 4 I have glorified thee on the earth I
have finished the work which thou gavest me to do and now
O Father Glorify thou me with thine own self, with the glory
which I had with thee before the world was. All the world
was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory,
the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace
and truth. For he comes and he comes to
reveal God, he is the image of God, the image of the invisible
God. is the Son of the Father in truth and in love. And so we can say, here the Father
is with me. That is always a truth. The unity of Father, Son, and
Holy Ghost in the Godhead. And whosoever transgresseth and
abideth not in the doctrine of Christ hath not God. He that
abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the
Son. And so the Lord Jesus Christ
is supported by the Father. They leave him. He's alone. And yet he says, I am not alone,
because the Father is with me. But as he is one with the Father
and with the Holy Spirit, in the great mystery of the doctrine
of God, the doctrine of the Trinity. Remember how in the outworking
of the great covenant of redemption and the covenant of grace, in
the outworking of that great purpose of salvation, the Son
becomes the servant of God. Behold, he says, My servant whom
I uphold, mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth, I have put
my spirit upon him. Oh, in the covenant he is set
before us as the servant of God, who comes in to do the will of
God and to accomplish that great salvation. As he says again in
his prayer in chapter 17, verse three, this is life eternal.
that they might know thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ
whom thou hast sent. It was God the Father who sent
him and he makes that quite clear
throughout his ministry, let us just go back in this gospel
a few chapters previous to where we are in chapter 8 and there
at verse at 16 I am not alone he says but I
am the father that sent me again verse 29 he that sent me is with
me the father hath not left me alone for I do always those things
that please him and again look at what he says
in the 14th chapter chapter 14 and there at verse 10, Believer
so not that I am in the Father and the Father in me? Words we
were looking at only last Lord's Day. Believer so not that I am
in the Father and the Father in me? He says to Peter. The
words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself, but the Father
that dwelleth in me, he doeth the words. But I am in the Father,
and the Father in me, or else believe me, for the very works'
sake. You see, as the servant of God,
that one who was sent by God, the Father is always with him. Although it is the Son who is
incarnate, who becomes the same, yet that salvation involves all
the persons in the Godhead. The Father sends the Son. The
Son comes to accomplish that great work of salvation. And then the Son sends the Spirit.
Isn't that what the Lord is speaking of in these chapters here? The
16th chapter and the previous two chapters speaks of the coming
of the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, who is to reveal the things of
Christ. We sang it in our opening hymn. Of course, all true Christians,
this may boast a truth from nature never learned, that Father, Son,
and Holy Ghost to save our souls are all concerned. And so, the
Lord Jesus Christ is conscious here that in this great work
that he is accomplishing, the Father is still with him. The Father who was ever always
with him. Again, in the high priestly prayer
that follows there in verse 24 of chapter 17, He says, he speaks of my glory,
which thou hast given me, for thou lovest me before the foundation
of the world. For then I was by him as one
brought up with him, I was daily his delight, rejoicing always
before him, he can say in Proverbs chapter eight. As the Father
delights in him as his eternal Son, so the Father is delighting
in him as he comes to execute that great work of redemption
and salvation. In all things he is pleasing
the Father, the Father who sent him. And as the Father sent him,
so God, the Holy Spirit, is the one who anointed him. God giveth
not the Spirit by measure unto him. And as the Spirit is there
with him in every part of his life here upon the earth as a
man. How he knew that constant, that
continual upholding by the Spirit of God. The Spirit is there,
of course, in his conception. How is he conceived in the womb
of a virgin? How can it be that a virgin is
with child? Well, the angel says the Holy
Ghost shall come upon him. The power of the highest shall
overshadow Therefore also that holy thing that shall be born
of the earth shall be called the Son of God. She is with child
of the Holy Ghost, the miracle of it, the mystery of it. And
then when he begins his public ministry, when he goes to be
baptized by John in the river Jordan, he must fulfill all righteousness,
how both the Father and the Son own him. How the Father speaks
those words, this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased,
and the Spirit descending upon Him in the form of a dove. And then how the Spirit leads
Him. He is led of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted
of Satan. And after those 40 days, the
nights in the wilderness, He returns in the power of the Spirit
He goes into the synagogue in Nazareth and he reads there in
Isaiah 61, the spirit of the Lord is upon him. Because he
had anointed me to preach the gospel. And all the eyes in the
synagogue look to him as he reads those words of the prophet. And
then says, this day is this scripture fulfilled in your sight. Oh, he is anointed of the spirit
throughout his ministry, the miracle. The miracles that He
performs, if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then is
the kingdom of God come amongst you. And as in life the Spirit
is there, so He is dying. Who through the eternal Spirit
offered Himself without spots to God. He's not alone. The Father is with Him. He is
ever that one who has the unction of the Spirit upon him in all
of his earthly life. And so in the resurrection, put
to death in the flesh, it says, but quickened by the Spirit. Oh yes, the Lord Jesus is able
to raise himself from the dead. But it also speaks in scripture
of the Father raising him from the dead. So too does the Spirit
raise him from the dead. Put to death in the flesh, quickened
by the Spirit. Here is the testimony of the
Lord Jesus said to His scattered disciples. They leave Him alone
and yet He says, I'm not alone because the Father is with me. And He's a pattern to us here.
We're to look to Him. Oh, what does the Lord have?
He has all that fullness of the promise of God and that's what
He gives us. He lives upon the word of God.
He lives upon that promise of God. Look at the promise that
the Father gave to him, back in the prophecy of Isaiah. In Isaiah 49, Isaiah 49 verse 6, this is the
word of the Father to him. He said, it is a light thing
that thou shouldest be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob
and to restore the preserve of Israel, I will also give thee
for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation
unto the end of the earth. Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer
of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to
him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers. Kings
shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of
the Lord that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and He
shall choose them. Thus saith the Lord, in an acceptable
time have I heard them, and in the day of salvation have I helped
them, and I will preserve them, and give thee for a covenant
of the people to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the
desolate heritage. And you see how coming back to
John in the very next chapter, chapter 17, we have the Lord
praying. And here is the assurance that
the Father gives him in verse 8 of this prophecy of Isaiah. In an acceptable time have I
heard them. In the day of salvation have
I helped them. He is not alone. In all that
lies before him the Father is with him. And thus he has that
promise. There in the very next chapter
of Isaiah, in chapter 15, we have the Lord's response. Verse five, the Lord God hath
opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away
my back. I gave my back to the spiders,
and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair. I hid not my face
from shame and spitting, for the Lord God will help me. Therefore
shall I not be confounded. Therefore have I set my face
like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed. He is
near that justifies me. Who will contend with me? Let
us stand together. Who is mine adversary? Let him
come near to me. Behold, the Lord God will help
me. Who is he that shall condemn
me? Lo, they all shall wax old as a garment. The mass shall
eat them up. He is conscious, you see, that
the Lord is there to help him. Behold the Lord, God will help
me, he says. And so coming back to the text.
Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. But then we might say, well,
what of the Lord's experience when he comes to die? And the
agonies of his soul because he makes his soul an offering for
sin. And he cries out, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken
me? Well, the comment of John Gill
is interesting. He says, God withdrew his gracious
and comforting presence, but not his powerful and supporting
presence. There's a sense in which there
could never be a division in the Godhead, because God is one
undivided, and God is one indivisible. And yet there was a very real
forsaking in the experience of Christ, the one who knew no sin,
who was their made sin. All the agonies of it, and yet,
you see, this is what we learn, how that God is there to support
his son, his only begotten son. Yet I am not alone, because the
Father is with me. And it's likewise with the believer,
with the child of God. In all the Lord's dealings with
us, it has been said, when he sends his chastenings upon us,
how he upholds with one hand as he smites with the other.
He upholds us, and at the same time he smites us. In the day of his east wind, he stayeth his rough
wind. All his ways are measured in
the way in which he deals with us. And here we see the disciples
scattered. And yet that to learn from the
experience of Christ himself. Behold, he says, yea, where cometh
yea is now come. And ye shall be scattered. every
man to his own and shall leave me alone. And yet, I am not alone
because the Father is with me. And he is the one who is able
to gather his people. Gather them even when they are
scattered, gather them even when they are outcast. In the world,
he says, you shall have tribulation but be of good cheer. I have
overcome the world. Oh, he is that one who is the
overcomer. who goes forth, we read it this morning, there in
the revelation. In chapter seven, he goes forth
conquering and to conquer. And he gathers his people. We
go right back to Genesis and the blessings that dying Jacob
pronounces upon his sons and the blessing to Judah. The scepter
shall not depart from Judah, nor the lawgiver between his
feet until Shiloh come and unto him. unto him shall the gathering
of the people be. Well, thank God that we can in
some measure gather. It's not true corporate gathering. It's not what we desire. It's not what the scripture speaks
of. And yet, we do at least have this mercy granted to us that
we can come together in this fashion to worship the Lord our
God. Oh, the Lord remember us saying,
Today, those who feel their separation one from the other, those who
feel their isolation, the Lord come, draw near to us, and comfort
us from his word, and comfort us as we consider the wonders
of the person and the work of our Lord Jesus Christ. May the
Lord bless his word to us. Amen.