So we're in this 80th Psalm and
we're going to begin reading it verse 1 Psalms number 80 verse
1 give ear Oh Shepherd What a wondrous thing that we can call upon the
Lord and cry out, Abba, Father. Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
thou that leadest Joseph like a flock. He who leads Joseph
like a flock, thou that dwellest between the cherubim, shine forth. Before Ephraim and Benjamin and
Manasseh, stir up thy strength, and come and save us. Turn us again, O God, to cause
thy face to shine, and we shall be saved. Tonight I'd like to
bring to our remembrance Larry and Gladys up in Reading. Let's
remember them in prayer if you would. Remember our newest members
of our church, Edward and Carissa. Just to clarify that a little
bit, we don't have sign-up sheets for members. If you come to this
church twice, we kind of consider you a member. If you keep coming
after that, you're especially a member. So if we consider them
members, they've been coming out for about three months. And
keep them in prayer as we know that Carissa is fighting her
second bout of cancer. And I forget which one it is. Lymphoma non-Hodgkin's. Lymphoma non-Hodgkin's cancer. Remember them if you would. Gene
and Judy. Let's continue to keep Gene and
Judy in our prayers, especially Judy. Thank you, those of you
who reached out to him last week. It really blessed him a great
deal. I know some of you played phone tag with him. He was greatly,
greatly blessed by your comments and everything. So, keep them
in prayer if you would. Let's remember Mike and Shirley
Loveless. They're not with us this evening
because of the heat. They're staying at home in front
of that air conditioner, which I'm glad they are. Remember Sonny
and Karen. As we know, Karen is also fighting
cancer once again and going through chemotherapy. She's doing pretty
well though. We talked to them last week. Let's remember our
sister Donna Anderson as she's preparing to move. She has sold her home. She's daunted with the task of
removing the things that she wants to take with her and everything
else will stay. The new owners have agreed to
dispose of what she did not want. So pray for her as she goes through
her things. Let's remember Sean, James Luber's
friend that he's been taking care of, or well, helping. I just remember Craig Roberts
in Kansas and his move to Nevada. I remember our brother Ron Halsey
in Arkansas. Brian and Nat Skiffington and
their physical ailments. Their niece Brynn and her husband
Michael. The kids, I remember them up
in Tahoe. I spoke with Brynn last week.
She was able to join us. And I spoke with her afterwards.
She's doing very well, but they are very, very busy. Mike and
her are both now in classes. So, they're spending their evenings
studying for testing. So, pray for them if you would.
Pray for our loved ones who continue to walk in darkness. Our Sunday
service is coming up. Tracy, Roger's daughter, who
lost her husband just recently to cancer. And her father-in-law. Yeah. Travel mercies for the
Thackers who will be leaving next week for Indiana, I believe
it is, to preach at Fred Evans' conference. Pray also for Obie
Williams who will be coming out here from Kingsport, Tennessee
to preach in Kevin's place. Kathy and I will be traveling
next week and the week after. We're going to Medford, Oregon
next week to see my daughter for a couple of days. And then
the week after that, we're going down to San Diego. I'll be here
for next weekend and this weekend. I'll be here on the weekends,
but Monday through Friday, I'll be traveling. So I'm sure that the 4th of August,
I will be canceling Friday night service, and I'm not sure about
next week's yet. It just depends on how much I
can get done in the week while I'm visiting with my daughter.
So pray for us as we travel, and I will let you know later
in the week next week if we're going to have certain Friday
night service or not. The fourth is that it is canceled for sure.
So I don't like to leave it for two weeks in a row, but I may
have to. So pray for us if you would.
Is there anything anybody would like to add to tonight's list
before we go to the throne of grace? Anyone online? I'm going to ask Kathy if she
would go ahead. Who? Who? Tim? Tim, did you have something? No, no thank you. Thanks. Okay, I'm going to ask
Kathy to go ahead and mute everyone. Our Heavenly Father, we do praise
You for all of Your wonderful blessings. Lord, You know our
list of petitions that we've just mentioned off. Many of our
dear brothers and sisters are suffering from ailments, physical
ailments and diseases such as cancer. Many of our brethren
are going through trials of their own personal life, Lord. We just ask that you would be
with your people. We know that you say in your
word, I will never leave you nor forsake you. So when we ask, Lord, that you
would be with us, In truth, what we're asking, Lord, is Your will
be done with us. That's truly what Your people
are crying out. Lord, we know that these things
are necessary, these trials that come our way, these sicknesses,
these illnesses, they're all part of this world that is cursed
with sin. What a blessing it is, Lord,
to know that You are always with us,
even in our darkest hours, even in the times when we feel the
most farthest away from You, Lord, we know You're still with
us. You were with us before the world was. Before a star will
twinkle in the sky, You've fought upon Your people. What a blessing. If God before us, who can be
against us? Lord, be with us now as we go
into Your Word once again, considering the directing grace, considering
Your Word that points us to Your directions, to how You direct
our lives in all things. And we ask, Father, that You
would bless us for Your Son's sake. Open our eyes, our minds,
our eyes, ears to the truths that we're about to see. We ask
in His name, the name above all names, Christ Jesus. Amen. Okay, everything once again is
in the handout, but we will be looking at Romans 9, Jeremiah 31, Romans 9 and Psalms 23 in detail
tonight So if you want to turn in your Bibles you prefer to
read from your Bibles Jeremiah 31 when we get to that in our
handout, I'll let you know We've seen these words All the way
my Savior leads me, what have I to ask beside? Can I doubt
His tender mercy, who through life has been my guide? Tonight our subject is directing
grace. Our Lord in His direction, directing
His people, and the grace He uses to direct us. In Romans 8.32, I'm sorry, back in our handout
again. What an error when we think the
Lord's presence has only been with us since His regenerating
work of our hearts. Folks, our Savior has always
loved His people. He has always been with His people,
as we read in Romans 8.32. He that spared not His own Son,
but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also
freely give us all things? When I read those words, and
every time I read those words and I think about this, I use
these words a lot. But what a blessing it is to
consider this. Everything... How shall He not freely give
us all things? What that tells me is that the Lord has given
you and I everything since the beginning of time. All things. Everything. Everything that has
happened has been for God's people. For His chosen loved ones whom
He has loved before the world was. Back in our handout, mid-page. The heading for Jeremiah 31 in
Esau is this. The Lord will turn mourning into
joy. Folks, this world we walk in
is full of mourning, is it not? What was our petitions for our
Lord tonight? To comfort His people who are
going through times of mourning. Larry and Gladys mourning the
fact that their bodies no longer work like they used to. And we
can go right down the list of that. Every one of those, mourning
something that has to do with our physical ailments, our situations
that we're in, those that we love. It's a world full of death
and full of misery. I don't mean to sound so negative. For folks, there is much to enjoy
of God's creation. Kathy and I traveled on our motorcycles
for 10 years, over 100,000 miles each. And I can tell you this,
that riding a motorcycle around this country It's so much more
enlightening than riding in a car with nothing but a windshield
in front of you. Your eyes are open. You're able to look around
and see things in the clouds that would be over the top of
the roof and you may never see it. Or things off over to the
hills over there. We were coming back from way
up far in Canada down through what's called the ice fields
of Canada and the glacier ice was well first off we're talking
about cliffs that were three four thousand feet high maybe
a thousand feet high at least and then above those cliffs was
another thousand feet of ice kind of a Kind of a bluish green. Turquoise. Kind of a turquoise color, yeah.
Just absolutely gorgeous. So there's so much for us to
enjoy. Babies. Babies. Aren't they a joy for most people? Babies. There's so much of God's
creation that we can be joyful for. And good food. Good tasting
food. But folks, None of what we see
or enjoy here will continue. Nothing of this world will last.
1 Peter 1 verse 24, For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory
of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the
flower thereof falleth away. Psalms 103 verses 5 through 9. I may have the wrong number there,
but it's in Psalms 103. As for man, his days are as grass
as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind
passeth over it, and it is gone, and the place thereof shall know
it no more. Isn't that what it is in the
lives of men? Oh, some of us remember some people here and
there. I remember my mom. But there's
a lot of people down from this world that I just don't remember
anymore. That's the way it is with men. We forget who it was. There are people who died years
ago that were known very well in the world, but they're remembered
no more. But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting
upon them that fear Him. and His righteousness unto children's
children, to such as keep His covenant, and to those that remember
His commandments to do them. The Lord hath prepared His throne
in the heavens, and His kingdom ruleth over all. For those the Father had given,
those chosen in Christ Jesus before the foundation of the
world, even our misery and mourning will have its end. We will be
led to the joy of God. Our Lord says all, or we sing
in the song, all the way my Savior leads me. Now, we come to Jeremiah
31, if you want to read in your Bibles along with me, or I have
it in the handout. At the same time, saith the Lord,
will I be the God of all the families of Israel. Now remember,
Israel, as we read in Romans, Paul points out, not all of Israel
is Israel. When the Lord speaks, He speaks
of things spiritually. And Israel is nothing more than
the real physical Israel, people of Israel, were nothing more
than a picture of God's Israel, God's people. I will be the God
of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people. Thus saith the Lord, the people
which were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness,
even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest. The Lord hath appeared
unto me of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an
everlasting love. Therefore, with lovingkindness
have I drawn thee. So we see words of direction
already. Therefore, I have drawn thee. That's a word of direction, the
Lord giving direction to one of his people. Again first up
for again. I will build thee and thou shalt
be built we see again a words of direction our Lord directing
his people Continuing on, O Virgin of Israel, thou shalt again be
adorned with the tabrets and shalt go forth in the dances
of them that make merry. Thou shalt yet plant vines upon
the mountains of Samaria. The planters shall plant and
shall eat them as common things. For there shall be a day that
the watchmen upon the Mount Ephraim shall cry, Arise ye and let us
go up to Zion unto the Lord. For thus saith the Lord, Sing
with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the
nations, Publish ye, praise ye, and say, O Lord, Save thy people,
the remnant of Israel. Behold, I bring them from the
north country, and gather them from the coast of the earth.
We see again our Lord directing his people, and with them the
blind and the lame, the woman with child, and her travaileth
with child together. A great company shall return
thither. They shall come with weeping
and with supplications. Will I lead, direct, I will cause
them to walk by the rivers." Another word we see, cause, our
Lord directing His people, I will cause them to walk by the rivers
of waters in a straight way wherein they shall not stumble for I
am a father to Israel and Ephraim is my firstborn. Robert Hopper
wrote this, he says, we have here the Lord speaking most graciously
to His people. and giving them exceeding great
and precious promises in Christ, confirmed with all the sanction
and the authority of Jehovah." Page 3. directing grace. As we read those words that we
just read in Jeremiah, we see where the Lord is the one who
does all the work. Not once in there did He ask
the people of Israel to help Him. Not once in those verses
did He need someone to help do the work. He did it Himself.
He led us. He caused us. He drew us. directing
grace, what peace a believer is given when the Lord of Glory
declares His works in all things. The fact that all that happens
in this world and beyond is by His direction, it's by His purpose,
by ultimately His will. Isaiah 14.24, the load of course,
The Lord of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely, as I have thought,
so shall it come to pass, and as I have purposed, so shall
it stand. We see there our Lord's purpose
shall stand. Who can turn the hand of God?
We took a break from reading the songs of our Sunday morning
scripture reading, and we've been reading the story of Joseph,
the son of Jacob, and we have come to where Jacob has learned
of his son Joseph still alive and thriving in Egypt. Listen
to these words. This will be our scripture reading
for Sunday morning. Genesis 46, words one through four, and Israel,
that's Jacob, took his journey with all he had and came to Beersheba. and offered sacrifices unto the
God of his father, Isaac. And God spake unto Israel in
a vision of the night and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, here
am I. And he said, I am God, the God
of thy father. Fear not to go down into Egypt,
for I will there make thee a great nation. So once again, we see
our Lord in leading His people. He says, I will go down with
thee. That's the same words as I will
never leave you nor forsake you. He says I will go down with you
Don't fear to go down there Jacob. I'm right here by your side.
Look what he says next though. He says and I will also surely
bring thee up again Our Lord is promising to you and I, I'll
go with you wherever I have directed you to go in this world, and
you will, and I will bring you up again. Folks, that's telling
us He's going to take us into His presence and shine on us
for eternity with His Son, the Lord Jesus, in His presence.
I will also surely bring thee up again, and Joseph shall put
his hand upon thine eyes. I think of my past in this world
before the Lord gave me a new heart, as well as since then,
and I wonder at how he has led me through the ways, through
the ways that I came. Was it His purpose for me to
wander in all those years in my darkness? You bet it was. Absolutely. Our Lord does nothing
imperfect, and that includes calling His children out of darkness.
I walked through those years of darkness because that's what
the Lord thought best for me to do. You walked through those
years in your life because that's what the Lord desired and purposed
for you to do. I may not understand what I went
through in all those years, but I know this. My Lord tells me
it was for my good in Romans 8.28. And I believe. Let us be
very, very, very clear. God is not the author of our
sin. Our sin is ours. It is of us. If we have any will at all, it
is the will to sin. The only reason our sin is restrained
is by the grace of God's restraining hand. Some say in the day of
Noah that all men did what was right in their own minds. Think
about that. Men who That's right for me to
go kill my neighbor and take his things. I'll go do that.
Interesting, like, we've almost got that same feeling and stuff
going on today, don't we? Folks, it's never... things are
not... we think things are different today than they were then. They're
not. Think about the days of Sodom and Gomorrah. Is there
any difference between then and now? No. God's restraining hand
is right where it's always been. Holding back sin. So that his
people will be brought to him in the day of his love. We think
today sin has become so common it must be close to the end.
Sin has abounded all along. Remember Cain? Remember what
Cain did killing his brother? Is that any different than what
the men and women do in the world around us today? Sin has been
in all men in ways beyond our imagination. Our Lord tells us
this clearly in Jeremiah 17, 9. The heart is deceitful above
all things. He's not talking about just this
heart or that heart. He's talking about the hearts
of all men. He's talking about the heart of John Reeves. He's
talking about the hearts of every single one who is unregenerated
by God the Holy Spirit. This heart is deceitful above
all things, desperately wicked. Who can know it? Page 4. But it is also clear through
the Holy Scriptures that sin is allowed for the glory of God. All things, including the fall
of man, will bring glory to our Savior. In Romans 9, again, we're
going to take this in a little bit of detail, if you want to
read it through in your Bibles, as it is written, Jacob have
I loved, but Esau have I hated. Even the wicked, will bring glory
to our God. Esau have I hated. Jacob was
just as wicked as Esau, yet both of these men bring glory to our
God because they point us to our God in His sovereignty in
electing one people and leaving the others to themselves. And
we're going to read more about that right now and next year,
9-14. What shall we say then? Is there
unrighteousness with God? Is there unrighteousness because
God chose one and He left the other to His wickedness? God
forbid for he sayeth to Moses verse 15. I will have Mercy on
whom I will have mercy. This is the glory that God receives
from choosing Jacob over Esau for God choosing to love Jacob,
for God choosing to love you and I. This is the glory that
God will receive from that. For he said at the most, I will
have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion
on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that
willeth, just to be sure you understand, it is not of him
that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth
mercy. For the scripture saith unto
Pharaoh, now Pharaoh was a picture of pure wickedness. God had raised
him up to be the man that he was for a certain purpose. Why?
To glorify God. And here we see that. Even for
this same purpose it says in verse 16, 17, I have raised thee
up that I might show my power in thee and that my name might
be declared throughout all the earth. So we see even the wickedness
of the world will glorify our Lord somewhere or another Verse
18 therefore have he mercy on whom he will have mercy and whom
he will he harden it Now those who don't know the Lord will
step up and say this thing that will stand to me Why does he
yet find fault for who have who have resisted his will? Nay,
but, O man, who art thou that replyest against God? Who are
you to question what God does? Shall the thing formed say to
him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the
potter power over the clay the same love to make one vessel
unto honor and another unto dishonor? What if God, willing to show
His wrath and make His power known, endured with much longsuffering
the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction, and that He might
make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy
which He had aforeprepared unto glory? If the Lord didn't have
vessels of mercy and vessels of wrath, How would you see His
glory shining, His mercy on those vessels? We were all the same,
which we all were at one time, by the way. This brings in the
grace, God's directing grace. He directs us. He directs us
in our lives to His grace, and it's through His grace that He
does that. And folks, it is by God's directing grace that brings
a lost, sinful soul unto the knowledge of Himself. The goodness
of God leadeth thee to repentance, is what it says in Romans 2,
verse 4. He leads us to repent that were
you know I was I was told recently that I don't preach enough on
repentance folks Every time I talk about you turning from the ways
of this world and turning to Christ. That's repentance Repentance
is turning from something and turning to something else Repentance
is turning from unbelief and believing God and great and repentance
is granted of God just like faith is a gift of God and The goodness
of God leadeth, directeth thee to repentance, Romans 2.4, verse
5, or page 5. 2 Corinthians 4.6, for God who
commanded the light to shine out of the darkness out of darkness
has shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge and
the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. That's the Lord
directing us, commanding the light. He commanded that light
to shine. That's Him directing His people.
That's what the shepherd does. He leadeth his sheep. He directs
them in the way to go. His sheep. Who causes it to rain? Did Noah shut up the door to
the ark? Who brought all the animals in to be saved of the
ark? Folks, this is the difference
between having religion and knowing the one true God who is sovereign
over all that is and has chosen to save a people unto Himself. Who can turn His hand? He is
called the Deliverer, the Messiah. He shall come and deliver His
people from their sin. Proverbs 16.9, A man's heart
diviseth his way, but the Lord directeth his steps. 2 Thessalonians
3 verse 1-5, we read these words, Finally, brethren, pray for us,
that the word of the Lord may have free course and be glorified,
even as it is with you, and that we may be delivered from unreasonable
and wicked men, For all men have not faith, but the Lord is faithful,
who shall establish you and keep you from evil. And we have confidence
in the Lord touching you that you both do and will do the things
which we command you. And the Lord direct your hearts
into the love of God and to the patient waiting for Christ. This,
too, is the work of the Holy Spirit, guiding the love of God
unto His Son, the Lord Jesus. We are guided to know Him as
He is. We didn't know the Lord Jesus,
not until the day He gave us life to see the truth. We didn't
understand who He was truly. Oh, everybody's heard of Him. I can't imagine anyone in the
world who hasn't heard of Jesus Christ. But to know Him, to know
Him as your Savior, as your Lord, as your Deliverer. We are guided to know Him as
He is. God manifested in the flesh a
100% man with the physical traits of a man. His body grew from
infancy to maturity. He hungered, He thirsted, He
laughed, He cried, yet He committed no sin like men. We are guided
to know Him as 100% God, perfect in all things. Everything He
did pleased the Father. He committed miracles that no
man could ever commit. He clearly declares in His Word
who He is, I and my Father are one. He came to do His Father's
will as we read in Hebrews 9, page 6. We are guided to see Him as our
only righteousness. We have none of ourselves. Folks,
we come into this world thinking we have a righteousness, but
we don't. It takes the guidance of the Spirit of God to guide
His people, to teach them there's none. There's none righteous.
There are none who seeketh after Him. And our God requires righteousness. We are guided to see that Christ
is our righteousness. We are guided to know His righteous
perfect sacrifice of Himself has accomplished its purpose.
He said it is finished. His finished work has satisfied
the debt of our sin. He is our atonement. 2 Corinthians 5.21 For He hath
made Him to be sin for us, and knew no sin, that we might be
made the righteousness of God in Him. We are guided to see
Him as the only sacrifice worthy of God's acceptance. It says
in Hebrews 9, 11 through 12, but Christ being come in high
priest, of good things to come by a greater and more perfect
tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building,
neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood. He entered in once into the holy
place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. Our redemption
is done. That's what that word obtained
means. And it was done by the perfect righteous blood of our
Savior, Jesus Christ. We would not have known that.
if God had not directed us in our ways. If He had not given
us direction in coming to Him. Psalms 23, verse 1. First off, He was raised for our justification
to sit at the right hand of the throne on high as our great conquering
captain. In Psalms 23, verse 1, we read
a psalm of David, where David is praying out in psalms The
wonders of the Lord. He says, the Lord is my shepherd.
He's my guide. He's my director. He's everything
to me. I look to Him as my provider.
I look to Him as, Lord, what will Thou will be for me today? I shall not want, He says. He maketh me to lie down in green
pastures. He leadeth me. He directs me
beside still waters. He restoreth my soul. He leadeth
again, directing me in the paths of righteousness for His name's
sake. He directs us in the path of
His Son's righteousness. His Son's righteousness for His
name's sake. Verse 4, Yea, though I walk through
the valley of the shadow of death. There's that world that we walk
in. Like I expressed there in the beginning of the Bible study.
He says, I will fear no evil. I think that speaks for itself.
For thou art with me, thy rod Jesus Christ is our rod, thy
staff. Jesus Christ is our staff. Lean
upon the Lord, they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before
me, verse 5, in the presence of mine enemies. Thou anointest
my head with oil, my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy
shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell
in the house of the Lord forever. Directing grace. Robert Hawker
writes regarding this psalm, he says, God had promised in
the Old Testament Scripture to raise up a faithful shepherd,
meaning Christ. And it is well worth our inquiry
under how many descriptions of the several writers of the Word
of God had it in commission to point him out. He is called God's
shepherd in Zechariah 13, 7. Awake, O sword, against my shepherd,
and against the man that is my fellow. Sayeth the Lord of hosts,
Smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. So we see
him mentioned as a shepherd in Zechariah. And Robert Hawkins
goes on to say that no possible mistake concerning him might
arise. He is called one shepherd. Ezekiel 34 23 and I will set
upon one shepherd over them. I will set up one And I will
set up one shepherd over them and he shall feed them even my
servant David he shall feed them and he shall be their shepherd
He is also called the chief shepherd in 1 Peter 5 verse 4. And when
the chief shepherd shall appear, he shall receive a crown of glory
that fadeth not away. In Hebrews 13.20 we see him declaring
himself as a great shepherd. Now the God of peace that brought
again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of
the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working
in you that which is well-pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ,
to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Thank you. And Christ himself takes the
appellation of the Good Shepherd. In John 10, verse 11, he says,
I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd giveth his
life for the sheep. Reader writes Robert Hawker,
how delightful you and I, like David, can with the same authority
say, the Lord is my Shepherd. depend on it. If so, we shall
never want either food or raiment, neither chastisement nor support,
neither blessings and providence nor grace. He that is the Good
Shepherd and the Great Shepherd and Jehovah's Shepherd will never
suffer his sheep to be unprovided for. Through His grace, our Lord will
guide us Through His grace, He will direct us into eternity
to be with Him forever. He says in John 16, 12-13, I
have yet many things to say unto you, but you cannot bear them
now, how be it? When He, the Spirit of Truth,
has come, He will guide, He will direct you in all truth, for
He shall not speak of Himself. In 1 Thessalonians 3.11, now
God Himself and our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ direct
your way. In 2 Thessalonians 3.5, which
we've already read, and the Lord direct your hearts into the love
of God and to the patient waiting of Christ. directing grace. Oh, how wonderful a Lord we have
who guides us, directs us, loves us, will never leave us. What
peace God's children can have with those thoughts in our minds.
Anybody have any questions?