I'll give you another message.
You're going to get three messages today. Spurgeon said it's wise
to deal with things that the people are thinking about in light of this violence and terrorism that took
place. It's on the minds of many people,
your mind, I'm sure. You can't escape it. It's on
the news everywhere. And it has created widespread
fear and worry, as it always does, as it did in this country
when it happened 14 years ago. We should have forgotten it that
way. Our country should have forgotten it. But this is my response. A quick
first turn to Matthew chapter 10. Matthew 10. And we're going
to read for our Scripture reading, Psalm 91. Matthew chapter 10. This is my word to you from the
Lord concerning these things that have happened to allay your
fears and cause us to trust in the
Lord. And we're not callous to this
at all and feel sorrow for the French people and what has happened
to those who have lost loved ones. Our Lord came to this earth and He spoke. And He said many things, didn't
He? He spoke. But He never dealt with political
issues. Ever. He never took up social
causes or injustices in society. He came preaching the Kingdom
of God. He said, if My Kingdom were of
this world, My servants would fight. We'd stand up and fight
for this world to keep it from evil, to change the world. But He said
it's not. And he came here at arguably
the worst time in the history of the world as far as corrupt
government. Rome was ruthless. The most ruthless government
ever. They said they were civilized.
Nero. Just widespread murder and just
carnage. Matthew 10, verse 16, our Lord
sent His disciples out. He did not tell them to address
the social issues, political issues, and prepare
the people to fight and so forth and get
ready for the coming Holocaust. No, sir. But he warned them, verse 16,
I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves. Be wise
as serpent, harmless as dove. Now you're going to be sheep
in the midst of wolves. You're going to be a prey. Every
believer is a prey and the world is the predator. Who's taking care of the sheep? Do sheep defend themselves? Had they ever had to defend themselves? I am the good shepherd. The Lord said, they're My sheep
and nobody can touch them. If they do, He did it. Like Job told Jennifer to read,
Job wanted to read it. The Lord did that. He did it
all. He did it all. Terrorists came
down on Job's family and people. Terrorists who sent him. God
did. Can you believe that? The world doesn't believe that,
so they don't have any peace, any comfort, don't have any answers. They believe in a God, but He's
a bystander. He doesn't want these things
to happen, but they happen anyway. Then who needs Him? What good
is He? He's God, our what? Savior. And whatever happens to the body,
what's good then? And it's all good then. We go
home. I'm getting excited. That ought
to excite us, shouldn't it? That ought to excite us. Ferguson
said, the worst thing that could happen to us is the best. We fear that thing that's going
to take us home. Look at Matthew 10. This is what
our Lord Jesus Christ says to His children. He said in verse
21, the brother will deliver up the brother to death, the
father the child. Children rise up against parents.
Boy, that's terrible and horrible. Not like Muslim kids. Suicide
bombers. Huh? It's been going on a long
time. Verse 23, when they persecute
you, yeah, run. There's nothing wrong with running.
Flee. Flee. Verse 26, but fear them not therefore. The Lord says, I'll take care
of it. Verse 28, fear not them which kill the body. Fear not
them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul,
but rather fear Him." Isn't that what it said? Fear Him. Fear Him. You see, God's kingdom is a spiritual
kingdom. And our warfare is a spiritual
warfare. We're not wrestling with flesh
and blood. We're not contending with Islamic terrorists. We're contending
with spiritual wickedness in high places, rulers of the darkness
of this world. And their principal work is in
religion. And not just Islamic religion,
Southern Baptist religion, Methodist religion, Catholic religion. Catholicism is slaying people
by the millions. Isn't it? So the weapons of our
warfare are not carnal. We don't have a carnal war we're
fighting, and our weapons aren't carnal. We need to arm ourselves.
We are armed. This is the sword of the Spirit.
The weapons of our warfare are mighty to the pulling down of
strongholds. The disciples went out unarmed. Had a Bible in the face of people
that wanted them dead. The Apostle Paul was surrounded. Everybody hated him. Everywhere
he went, they hated him. And they beat him. He said, I
was in perils of robbers. I was in perils of my own countrymen.
I was in perils here. I was in perils there. He didn't
carry a sword on his hip, but he carried a sword in his mouth. And you know what God did? Slew
many of His enemies. Slew them with the Word of God. Broke down
that enmity. Made them at peace with it. And
the ones He didn't, He'll take care of them later. He'll take
care of them later. But He's coming, the Lord coming
through this world, an unseen kingdom, gathering up His people.
He's not telling His people to fight for the social ills and
political causes. I know I've got children, I've
got grandchildren. You think I want my grandchildren
to live? But folks, we can't stop it. And so what we want
for them is that God will put them into His Kingdom. So come
what may, it's all good. It's all good. It's all good. Right? The Lord warned of wars and rumors
of war. He warned of tribulation. Just
shortly after He left, He said the tribulation will be like
the world has never seen before. He didn't say, get armed. He didn't say, go and live in
a cave. He didn't say that at all. He
said, fear not. He kept saying, fear not, didn't
He? A horse is a vain thing for safety. You can't run fast enough. He
can't. But if you run to Christ, if
He's your refuge... Alright, now let's read Psalm
91. Okay? Now let's read it. You see, we
abide in a secret place. We abide in a place that the
world knows not of. It's not secret to us. He's been
our dwelling place in all generations. David didn't trust in his sword,
and he was afraid. And he said, what time am I afraid? I'll trust the Lord. Psalm 91, He that dwelleth in
the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow
of the Almighty. Now, God is a spirit. God is
in Him. There's no shadow of turning,
is there? But He became a man. And there's
a man watching over us. Yes. And He casts a long shadow. I will say, David, Moses wrote
this we believe, I will say of the Lord, He's my refuge and
my fortress. The Lord, my God, in Him will
I trust. Surely He shall deliver thee
from the snare of the fowler and from the noisome pestilence.
He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings
shalt thou trust. His truth, that's your shield,
your buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for
the terror by night, if you trust him, nor for the error that flyeth
by day, nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness, disease,
whatever, nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand
shall fall at thy side, ten thousand at thy right hand. It shall not
come nigh thee, only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see
the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the Lord,
who is my refuge, even the most high of thy habitation, there
shall no evil befall thee." There's no evil. God said it's all good,
isn't it? Neither shall any plague come
nigh thy dwelling. He shall give his angels charge
over thee to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee
up in their hands, even keep you from stomping your toe, lest
thou dash thy foot against the stone. Thou shalt tread upon
the lion and adder." Danger is all around us, but we're walking
over it. The young lion, the dragon, our
Lord said, oh, he'll bruise Satan under our feet shortly. You'll
see. Verse 14, because he, or that is who, he who trusts the
Lord has set his love upon me, this is God speaking, therefore
will I deliver him. I will set him on high because
he hath known my name. He shall call upon me and I will
answer him. I will be with him in trouble.
I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy
him. And I'm going to show him my
salvation. Not man's. Not man's salvation. But miraculous, amazing salvation
of the Lord in the face of many enemies. In the face of insurmountable
odds. Like he told Gideon and his men,
you've got too many. Whittle them down or you'll think
you did this. And you're going to see. The
battle is not yours. It's mine. Trust in the Lord. Pray with me again. Our Lord,
O Thy Word is our hope, sure promises of our God who cannot
lie, God who promises salvation, who has given us a sure and certain
victory in Christ. Grave, where is thy victory?
O death, where is thy victory? O grave, where is thy victory? Death, where is thy sting? Thanks
be unto God which giveth us the victory through our great Captain,
the Lord Jesus Christ who reigns and rules over us, the armies
of heaven who are on our side, on the Lord's side. And nothing
and no one can touch your people. O Lord, Cause us to fear You and not
be so afraid of man, we pray. And Lord, we do pray for people
who are suffering and in pain and grief and sorrow. We would
not forget them. Do not put ourselves above them. What we have, we have not received.
You've revealed Yourself to us. And oh Lord, we pray that You
might do so for others. You're still calling people out
into your kingdom. We pray that Thy kingdom will
come here in our midst. Thy will be done on earth as
it is in heaven. O Lord. Now, we pray that bread
of life unto us. Arm us with this thought that
our God reigns. Forgive us of our sins. And bless,
Lord, the Holland and the Huff family, we pray in Christ's name,
Amen. All right, number what, John,
136? I think that's it. 176. The standards we're seeing,
176. so