Turn with me, if you would, back
to Isaiah 40. Isaiah 40, let's read verses
9 to 11 again. that bringest good tidings. And that means those who tell
good tidings to Zion. Get thee up into the high mountain,
O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings. Lift up thy voice with
strength. Lift it up. Be not afraid. Say unto the cities of Judah,
behold your God. Behold, the Lord God will come
with strong hand and his arm shall rule for him. Behold, his
reward is with him and his work before him. He shall feed his
flock like a shepherd. He shall gather the lambs with
his arm and carry them in his bosom and shall gently lead those
that are with young. He shall feed his flock like
a shepherd. He shall gather the lambs with
his arm and shall carry them in his bosom. That sounds so
nice to me. That sounds so, so nice to me. I want the Lord Jesus Christ
to be my shepherd. I really do. I sincerely do. I think about scriptures
that say He will give you the desires of your heart. If any
of us have that desire, He put it there. We don't take credit. We don't boast in anything. I
want the Lord Jesus Christ to be my shepherd. I want him to feed me. I cannot
feed myself. I cannot feed you. You know,
the command is, if you love me, feed my sheep. Peter knew he
couldn't feed anybody. I cannot feed. I can't even feed
myself. He must feed. He must do all
the feeding. And I want, by His grace, I want
Him to feed me. I want Him to feed my soul. I want Him to lead me. You know, there's a time in every
person's life when they don't want anybody to lead them, but
themselves. I'll lead myself. Thank you.
I'm past that. I'm over that. Honestly, I want
him to lead me. I don't want to take one step
without him moving my foot. I want him to carry me through
this life. That's what I want. I want him
to carry me through this life. This very difficult life. I want
me him to carry me all the way home. That's what I want. If
the Lord is willing in just a moment, we're going to close this service.
With the song, Savior, like a shepherd, lead us. That song is a prayer. If you
think about it, that song is a prayer. That song is the crying
out of a desire. It's a request from God's people
to him. Just listen to these words. I'm
going to quote this song to you and see if this is not the desire
and the request of your heart. Savior, like a shepherd, lead
us. Much we need thy tender care. In thy pleasant pastures. Where's that? It's the pleasant pastures of
His Word. The very, very pleasant pastures
of His Word. In thy pleasant pastures, feed
us. Feed me. Feed me your Word by
your Spirit, through your means. Feed me your Word. In thy pleasant
pastures, feed us. For our use, please, thy folds
prepare. Even us, even us, let thy blessing
fall on us. Prepare a place for us. That
thief on the cross said, Lord, prepare a place for me. When
you enter into your kingdom, remember me. Blessed Jesus, blessed Lord Jesus,
thou hast bought us, thine we are. You bought us. You paid
for us, and we belong to you. What did he buy us with? His
own precious blood. We belong to you. Thou hast bought us, thine we
are. The prayer continues by saying, we are thine, do thou
befriend us? Oh, friend of sinners, do thou
befriend us? Be the guardian of our way. KEEP
THY FLOCK FROM SIN, THE SIN OF UNBELIEF. YOU KNOW OUR LORD SAID
ALL MANNER OF SIN SHALL BE FORGIVEN, BUT THE BLASPHEMY AGAINST THE
HOLY SPIRIT, THE SIN OF UNBELIEF. KEEP THY FLOCK, KEEP US FROM
UNBELIEF. KEEP THY FLOCK FROM THAT GREAT
SIN. DEFEND US FROM THAT. Seek us when we go astray, not
if, not if. Seek us, this is what I want,
when I go astray, would you please seek me? Blessed Jesus, blessed Lord Jesus,
hear, oh hear us when we pray, please hear me. Please give me
a heart to cry out to you in sincerity, not just with lip
service, Lord, put a prayer in my heart, cause my tongue to
speak it, and then please hear me and answer me. The song goes
on to say, thou hast promised to receive us. Poor and sinful
though we be, Thou hast mercy to relieve us. I tell you what
mercy does for me. It relieves me. It relieves me. All of my wrong, everything I
am, everything that stacks up against me, and I think, why
am I thus? You know the relieving factor?
Mercy in the blood. Thank God for the blood. There's
no fixing this. Thank God for the blood. Thou
hast mercy to relieve us, grace to cleanse, and power to free. So blessed Jesus, blessed Lord
Jesus, early let us turn to Thee. Early in life, early in the trial, early in the morning, early every
morning. Let us turn to Thee, not I will turn to Thee. Would
you please let me, turn me and I'll be turned. Early, let us seek thy favor.
Early, let us do thy will. What is His will? Bow to the
Son. Kiss the Son. Hear Him. Believe on Him. Trust Him. Look to Him. Follow Him. Lord, early, let us do Thy will. Let me bow to You. Blessed Lord and only Savior,
with Thy love, our hearts, souls, innermost beings fill. Blessed Jesus, blessed Lord Jesus,
thou hast loved us. Love us still. Would you love
me still? You think about that. Would you
please still love me? Even though I'm still what I
am. I'm still that same sinner I
always was. Would you still love me? That's
what I want. I want for you to please still
love me. Thou hast loved us, love us still. Now, honestly, is that our prayer
to Him? That is the desire of our heart. That's the request that we cry
out to Him. We want Him to be our shepherd. I want you to be my shepherd. We want Him to lead us. We want
Him to feed us. We want Him to carry us in His
arm all the way home. I want to enter all the way in.
Lord, carry me all the way home. Don't leave me in the way. That is honestly what I want.
That is honestly the request and desire of my heart. I know
it is yours too. I know it is. And we all know
that the reason that is the request and the desire is because he
put it there. We know that. We know that. We give thanks
for that. And the comforting promise of
his word is that desire that he put there, That's our, you
know, I could read the song again. This request we're making to
Him. This is our heart's cry to you. That desire that His
people have because He put it there. That cry that He has caused His
people to request from Him. That is exactly what He's gonna
do for them. He put it there. Because that's
what He's going to do for them. Everything they're crying, please
let this be. That's what it's going to be
for them. Look with me, if you would, at
Isaiah 46, just a few pages over. Isaiah 46 verse 3 says, Hearken
unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house
of Israel, all of my chosen people, which are born by me from the
belly, which are carried from the womb, and even to your old
age, I am He. And even to gray hairs, He's
saying, I formed you in the belly. I brought you forth. I separated
you from your mother's womb. And even then, before I formed
you in the belly, all the way up to gray hair, verse four,
even to your old age, I am He. And even to gray hairs will I
carry you. I have made and I will bear,
even I will carry and will deliver you. That's the promise of his
pleasant pastures to his people. That's pleasant pastures. He said, I will care for you
and I will carry you all the way home. That relieves my soul. If the Lord, you know, well,
I wiped your slate clean. Now don't do it again. If the
Lord left me alone, I'd be so torn all to pieces. But he said, I'm not going to
leave you alone. I'm going to hold you in my arm, carry you all the way home. BACK IN CHAPTER 40, IF YOU LOOK
BACK AT CHAPTER 40, I HAVE ALWAYS LOOKED AT THE LAST THREE WORDS
OF VERSE 9 AS WARNING WORDS OF JUDGEMENT. THAT'S HOW I'VE ALWAYS
READ THESE WORDS. WARNING WORDS OF JUDGEMENT TO
AN UNBELIEVING WORLD. AND THEY ARE. BEHOLD YOUR GOD. BEHOLD YOUR GOD. THIS IS A CRY
OF JUDGEMENT to an unbelieving world. Look at verse 3, Isaiah
40 verse 3 says, the voice of him that crieth in the wilderness,
prepare ye the way of the Lord. Make straight in the desert a
highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted. Every dark place is going to
be made known, brought into light. Every mountain and hill shall
be made low. All of my self-righteous pride
is going to be cut down. The crooked shall be made straight. The rough places planed off. And the glory of the Lord shall
be revealed and all flesh shall see it together for the mouth
of the Lord hath spoken it. LORD OUR GOD IS COMING BACK IN
JUDGEMENT TO BRING ABSOLUTE JUSTICE ON ALL FLESH. ALL OF MANKIND
BECAUSE OF ITS SIN. ALL HAVE SINNED. VERSE 6 THE
VOICE SAID CRY AND HE SAID WHAT SHALL I CRY? ALL FLESH IS GRASS. ALL OF GOD'S PEOPLE CRY. AMEN.
ALL THE GOODLINESS THEREOF IS AS THE FLOWER OF THE FIELD. The
grass withereth, the flower fadeth, because the Spirit of the Lord
bloweth upon it. Surely the people is grass. The
grass withereth, the flower fadeth, but the Word of our God shall
stand forever." The promise of His just punishment on this unbelieving
world will come to pass. The warning goes out to all flesh. Behold your God. He's coming. Behold your God. I've always
seen those three words at the end of verse nine as words of
warning and judgment, and they are. But in entering to what
this green pasture is actually saying when I was reading this.
This week, verse 9 says it is good tidings. That's what it
says. Verse 9 says, O Zion that bringest
good tidings, good news. Get thee up into the high mountain.
O Jerusalem that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with
strength. Lift it up, be not afraid, say
unto the cities of Judah, behold your God. For God's people, those
who were chosen to be redeemed, chosen to be redeemed, chosen
to be plucked from the brand, chosen to be spared, those who
the Savior came to save, Those who have been given this faith.
You know, if we believe on Him, we are such a blessed people.
By grace are you saved through faith. That's not of yourself,
it's the gift of God. Those who have received faith
that believes on Him. And faith that believes on His
blood. Not our works, but His blood. What an amazing gift that is,
that God works in His people. Outside of Christ, these are
words of warning and judgment, but to those who are in Christ,
sheep in his fold, like he's talking about right here. What words of comfort? What words of comfort to those
who are lambs in his arm? You know, you think about a lamb.
being in the arm of the shepherd, very, very small, one who can't
get away, you know, and he's just kicking and struggling and
this and that, but he's still in the arm of the shepherd. That's
what we do. We're just all worried and kicking
and struggling. And the cry is, just look up. Look at his face. You're in the arm of the shepherd. You're being carried. Behold
your God. Look to your God. what words
of comfort to all of his little sheep. His green pasture of rest
cries, behold your God. If you need comfort and if you
need peace and if you need security, behold your God. Look at verse
one. It says, Comfort ye, comfort ye my people,
saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem. Speak to their heart. And cry unto her that her warfare
is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned, for she hath received
of the Lord's hand double for all her sins. The war is over,
your sin debt is paid, and abundant mercy and abundant grace and
abundant favor and abundant kindness and abundant compassion, abundant
love, abundant tenderness to a double portion has all been given to you. Just
behold your God. That's glad tidings. To all of his sheep, the shepherd
says, this is what the shepherd says, where your sin has abounded
toward me, my favor and my grace has much more abounded toward
you in a double portion. Turn with me over to Luke 15. Luke 15 verse 3 says, And he spake this parable unto
them, saying, What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he
lose one of them? Aren't you so thankful that one is not so insignificant that
it's worthy to be lost? Well, we only lost one. That's
a casualty of the war. if he loses one of them. He goes
on to say, Death not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness
and go after that which is lost until he find it. Thank God for
the perseverance of the Savior. Thank God for the faithfulness
of Christ. Verse five says, And when he hath found it, he layeth
it on his shoulders rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth
together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with
me, for I have found my sheep, which was lost. We say to him, honestly, we say
to him, Lord, prone to wander, I feel it. prone to leave the
God I love. That's what we say to Him. And
He says to us, every time you do, I will seek you, I will find
you, and I will carry you home. Every time you do. Lord, I'm
just so prone to wander off. I'm so prone to run away. Every
time you do, I'll seek you, I'll find you, I'll carry you home.
I will lay you on my shoulders, and carry. I won't whip you back
home. I'll lay you on my shoulders
and I'll carry you home. And while we're riding back on
his shoulders with great joy in our hearts, we'll give him
all the glory and we'll tell everybody that we pass, he sought
me, he found me, and he's carrying me home. That's what's happening
to me right now. He sought me, he found me, he
bought me, he redeemed me, he quickened me, And right now he
is carrying me back home. Isn't that what we say? Right
now, right here. We are literally being carried
home. In our sin, we are such wandering
sheep. Man. And he's so good to us. Good tidings. Go with me back to Isaiah 40.
I'll be quick. Isaiah 40. Verse 9 says, O Zion that bringest
good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain. O Jerusalem
that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength. Lift
it up, be not afraid, say unto the cities of Judah, behold your
God, behold the Lord God will come, Christ himself. Do you notice that capital L,
lowercase, O-R-D? The Lord God, behold the Lord
God will come with strong hand and his arm shall rule for him. Isaiah 52 says the Lord hath
made bare his holy arm Christ himself He is coming in judgment
He's coming in his reigning power, but he's coming for his people
He is coming to gather his people. He will come for us To gather
us. I cannot wait I have to wait, but I'm looking
really forward to it. He will come to gather us. He came the first time to redeem
us. He came the first time to die
on the cross that He might redeem us from all of this filthy sin. WIPE THAT SLATE CLEAN, MAKE US
WORTHY AND ACCEPTABLE TO STAND IN HIS PRESENCE AGAIN. THAT'S
WHY HE CAME THE FIRST TIME. THIS SECOND TIME HE'S COMING
BACK TO TAKE US HOME. THAT'S WHAT HE'S GOING TO DO.
HE WILL COME TO GATHER US WITH HIS ARM AND TO CARRY US IN HIS
BOSOM ALL THE WAY HOME. VERSE 10 SAYS, BEHOLD, THE LORD
GOD WILL COME WITH STRONG HAND AND HIS ARM SHALL RULE FOR HIM. Behold, his reward is with him
and his work before him. What is it? His work is before
him. What is it? Verse 11, he shall
feed his flock like a shepherd. He shall gather the lambs with
his arm and carry them in his bosom and shall gently lead those
that are with young. We want the Lord Jesus Christ
to be our shepherd, don't we? We want him to be our shepherd.
We just want him to feed us and lead us and carry us through
this life. Lord, carry me through this life. That is our desire. It's our
desire that you would just carry us all the way home. Please carry
us all the way home. And this is his promise to us.
Go with me to Luke chapter 12. That's our desire, and this is
His promise to us. Luke chapter 12, verse 32 says, Fear not, little flock, for it
is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Fear
not, little flock of sheep. He is going to lead you. If that's
the Father's will, THAT'S WHAT SHALL BE DONE. THY WILL BE DONE. WHAT IS HIS WILL? HE'S GOING
TO LEAD YOU, HE'S GOING TO FEED YOU, HE'S GOING TO CARRY YOU
ALL THE WAY HOME. AND I'M CLOSING BECAUSE I DON'T
WANT TO RUN TOO LONG. BUT JOHN 10, LET ME JUST READ
TO YOU. OUR LORD SAID IN JOHN 10 VERSE
14, I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD AND KNOW
MY SHEEP. and am known of mine." They hear
my voice, they follow me. He said, as the father knoweth
me, even so know I the father, and I lay down my life for the
sheep. And other sheep I have, which
are not of this fold, them also I must bring, and they shall
hear my voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd. And I'm telling you that is going
to be a happy, happy fold. That is going to be a fold of
love. That is going to be a fold of peace. It's going to be a
fold of joy. All we're going to do as sheep
is just rub up next to each other, huddle together, run to the Savior,
run to the shepherd, hear his voice, follow him. What would
you like to do for all eternity? Follow him. Wherever he walks,
we'll just follow him. A glorious, happy fold. He said
in John 17, Father, I will that where I am, they may be also
so that they can behold my glory. What will we do? We will behold
the glory of the shepherd. It'll all be about the shepherd.
That's what heaven is. It's a glorious fold where everything
is about the shepherd. And he said, I'm going to bring
my people into it. I must bring them in. Lord, bring
it to pass. Come quickly, please. Come quickly. We are his sheep. This is what
Psalm 100 says. We are his people and the sheep
of his pasture. So let's enter into his gates
with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise. Let's be
thankful unto him and bless his name for the Lord is good. His
mercy is everlasting and his truth endureth to all generations. Lord, let it endure to us. All right, let's all stand together.