to guide the future as he has
the past. So thy hope, thy confidence,
let nothing shake. So be still, my soul, when change
and tears are past, all safe and blessed. We shall meet at
last. Be still. the theme, really, of this message
tonight. Isaiah 30. Isaiah chapter 30. Let's read verse 15 again. Isaiah 30, verse 15. Thus saith the Lord God, the
Holy One of Israel, in returning and rest, how ye be saved. quietness and confidence shall
be your strength." And he would not. Now this is
the word of the Lord to Israel, whom he called his children,
rebellious though they were. This is the word of the Lord
to Israel, whom in other places he called his sheep. no prone
to wonder that they were. And since the apostles said he
is not a Jew outwardly but inwardly. And so Israel is all of God's
elect. Those are in Christ. And so this
is to all believers who are God's children. They're all taught.
They shall all be taught of God, who he is. Though they are rebellious
at times and prone to wonder. And so he says here to Israel,
to his people, to his elect, in returning and rest shall ye
be safe. Now, where are they returning
from? They look back at chapter or
verse one, chapter 30. Look back at verse one, read
verses one through three again. It says, Woe to the rebellious
children that Sayeth the Lord to take counsel, but not of me
that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, to add sin
to sin. They go down into Egypt, have
not asked at my mouth. They go there to strengthen themselves
in the strength of Pharaoh and to trust in the shadow of Egypt. So the strength of Pharaoh shall
be your shame, the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion. Now, you know well. Now, Egypt
in Scripture represents the world very clearly, the world with
all of its politics and religion and so forth. Pharaoh represents
world leaders such as presidents or prime ministers or popes,
any world leader. So the Lord kept telling Israel
then and he tells us now. Don't trust in Egypt. Don't put
any trust in Egypt. Verse seven, he says, vain is
the help of Egypt. So no purpose, what they're doing
is a real lasting value or purpose. Don't put your hope in Pharaoh. Don't put your hope in the leader
of the land, don't look to don't depend upon any thing or anyone
in this world for any peace or any hope or any help, or for
that matter, any happiness or blessing. Look unto me, the Lord
said, and be ye saved. I am God. There is none other. And this is my world, God said.
This is his world. Pharaoh does his will. Our president does his will.
Our God. Egypt's economy goes according
to the God of the world. Our God, that is. Egypt's economy
goes according to our God's will. Completely. But no, like the
Israelites of old, we at times, we look to strengthen ourselves
in the strength of Pharaoh. In other words, we kind of trust
in a man's wisdom and power and ability and have a little hope
and have a little confidence that since, like Egypt, this
is the greatest nation on earth and everything's going to be
fine. How relevant this is, huh? How
relevant. Our new president, or pharaoh
you may call him, ran for office with this thing, hope. Didn't he? There's hope. By that he meant in him. In him. And if you'll believe
in the United States of America, what a great country this always
has been, and you have some hope that I'm the man for the job,
that everything's going to be all right. And most of the people, most
of the people in Egypt or in this world, place their hopes
and their future for themselves, for their family, In him, don't
they? Hope has arrived. And in the
government, and so forth. I've got a confession to make.
I'm human. And I read and I watch the news
and I listen to all the talk of various leaders and so forth,
and I catch myself being either worried or encouraged by what
they say. Anybody else? Admit it. And I get caught up in the same
worries that the world that Egypt or the world has the same worries. Economy and so forth. I don't
want you. I don't want to lose my job,
my home. I don't want you to. But the President of the United
States is not the one who gave us our jobs and our homes. The
United States of America is not It doesn't get the credit for
all that we are and have. None of it. None of it. But I confess, I get caught up
in the same worries, the same hopes, same fears as most. And then the Lord, in mercy to
me, causes me to think on things above. where my real hope is,
where my real future is, where I have an inheritance that fadeth
not away, incorruptible, undefiled, that's reserved in heaven for
me and all those in Christ. And he causes me to remember
his word upon which he's caused me to hope. He makes me return
to him, look at verse seven, and sit down and read his work
verse seven says help of the Egyptians is in vain no purpose
so I cried. As they said I cried. Concerning this that is to God's
people their strength. Their strength is to sit still. Sit still. While everyone is
running around Going here and going there, worried about this,
worried about that, looking for this, looking for that. The strength
of God's people is what you're doing right now. All your hope,
all your peace, my peace and hope, will come from God bringing
us back in this little place, this little tabernacle, sitting
us down, making us to lie down in these green patches, sitting
us down and stealing our souls. By his work. Be still my son. We find all our strength. We're
going to see. Here's a good thing about Wednesday
night. We've been three or four days and if you're busy and working,
maybe you haven't had the time to glean for yourself. But you
come in here and a full meal is prepared for you from God's
Word. And all you have to do is sit down and open your mouth,
open your heart to God, call upon the Lord, and he has promised,
I'll fill it. I'll renew your strength. I'll
fill you back up with faith you may have lost, which comes from
hearing my word. You're going to have to live
on this faith. You're going to have to go back out in that world,
back out into Egypt. And to keep you from trusting
Egypt or worrying, and this and that and the other, here's meat
that you may go in the strength thereof. Here's peace for your
troubled soul. Here it is. Here's hope. Here's help. There's help. It's
only one place. Help. Comfort. Comfort. As he
said, Brother Sam must have read what I was going to preach on. He read from Exodus 14, where
Israel was surrounded, you know, hedged in on either side. And
the Egyptians were pursuing them and had a great gulf fixed between
them and the promised land. And what God said through Moses
to them, he says to us now. stand still, just stand still,
just be still and know. I'm gone, there is none of you.
And hang your soul, sit down, he says, shut up. You know, this
is the most talkative generation ever in it. Don't you get tired
of hearing people talk? Well, Quit listening to what the world
is saying. Come in here, sit down, and listen
to what God says. He said, don't ask at their mouth. Ask me of the things to come. I'll show you. Didn't he, John? I'll show you. Ask of me concerning
my children, he said. Ask of me what I'm going to do
with my children. You're worried about what's going to happen?
Ask me. I'm making it happen. All of
it. They're in my hands, not Pharaoh,
not Egypt. Don't listen to them. Don't listen
to them. Look at verse 8. It says, Go
write it before them in a table. Note it in a book that it may
be forever, for the time to come, forever and ever, that they may
read it in future generations. Write it down, Isaiah, in a book. Write what I tell you. For their comfort, for their
strength, God has written the book. God has declared the end
from the beginning, saying, My counsel shall stand. I will do
all my good pleasure. You want to see where that's
written? Look over a few chapters, Isaiah 44. Look over here. Let's just glean through God's
word and see what all promises he says concerning us. Look at
this. This is written to Israel, to
you, to us. Verse one. and two Isaiah forty
four yet now here old Jacob my servant and Israel whom I have
chosen thus said the Lord that made thee and formed thee from
the womb which will help that will help the fear not old Jacob
my servant whom I have chosen verse twenty one and twenty two. Remember the remember what I've
said old Jacob and Israel whom for the hour and my servant I
have formed the thou art my servant over Israel thou shall not be
forgotten of me. I have blotted out as a thick
cloud by transgression as a cloud by sin return unto me for I have
redeemed the start singing don't worry sing. Look at verse twenty-four. Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer,
he that formed thee from the womb, I am the Lord that maketh
all things, that stretcheth forth the heavens alone, that spreadeth
abroad the earth by myself. Read on. That frustrated the
tokens of the liars. You know, our economy and so
forth, Egypt, he's just making the wheels come off a little
bit. Right? Sam, that's what you read, making
the wheels come off when they're just driving heavily. Read on. He makes the diviners mad, verse
25. All these religious people. Turns
wise men backward and make their knowledge foolish that confirmeth
the word of his servant. God's word confirms that to us
and performs the counsel of his messenger. My, my, look at verse 28. He
says of Cyrus, he's my shepherd and shall perform all my pleasure. Chapter 45, thus saith the Lord
to his anointed, to Cyrus whose right have I hold him to subdue
nations before him. All right, hold on there. Who
is this Cyrus? You know anything about this
Cyrus? God told Isaiah to write about this man named Cyrus, who
was to be a king and reign and rule. All right? Be a king and
reign and rule, and Israel would be under his reign and his rule.
He would do God's good pleasure. He's a heathen king. This was written in 708 B.C.
All right? This was written in 708 B.C.
Cyrus came into power in 539 B.C. He wasn't even born yet. And God put his name in here.
Ed, you and I have talked about this before. What must that man
have thought when one day he picked up the book of Isaiah
or someone read it to him and his name's there. Telling him
everything he's going to do. He said to Cyrus before he was
born, either having done any good or evil, he said to Cyrus,
this is what you're going to do, and you're going to do it
according to my purpose concerning my people, a heathen king. Oh, no, I'm going to do what
I will. You will not, no one else does. I do according to my will. Look
at verse 3 there of Isaiah 45. He says, in verse three, he said,
I'll give thee the treasures of darkness, hidden riches of
secret place, that thou mayest know that I, the Lord, which
called thee by thy name, am the God of Israel. And it's for Jacob,
my servant's faith, Israel, mine elect. It's all for them. And he goes on and on and on
through the book of Isaiah to say that I am the Lord. In chapter
45, though it be good or evil, whatever it be, God says, I do
all these things. I am God, he says, over and over
again. There is no other. There is no
other God beside me. I am a just God, doesn't he say
in chapter 45? I am a just God. Everything I
do is right. Everything I do is fair. Everything
I do is good and holy and just and true and according to my
holy nature and my merciful and good and kind and wise and gracious
nature, I can't do anything else but what's just. I will be just
to my people. I'll do them right. And I'm a
Savior. He says, that's my name. That's
what I do. I have undertaken for my people
to save them. And that's what I will do. That's my name, God said, Savior. That's what I am. That's what
I do. Don't call. He talked about people
in verse 20 that assemble themselves and pray unto a God that cannot
save. Egypt does that don't make their
idols. Those that make them over and
over. He says they're like unto him have eyes don't see ears
up here. Not our God. You hurt you hear
that quote this all the time by these false these mad diviners. They say he has no hands with
your hand. Well, their God made me have no hands. You know who?
Why would you? Our families. Our God has big
hands, and you and I, buddy, and our wives and our children
and this whole church and this whole universe are in them. Aren't
you glad? And he said, no one can fuck
them up. That's our God. That's our God. He said, look unto me, be ye
safe. Don't look to Egypt. Don't look
to Pharaoh. Don't look here. Don't look there. Look unto me
and be ye safe. I'm God. There is none else.
I raised up by a row. That gives me hope, because I
sure didn't. I didn't put him there. But God did. He knows what he's doing, according
to his purpose. You're laughing, Margaret. You
didn't either, did you? But he's our president, and we'll
pray for him. We will. And we'll submit. But anyway,
for our Help our hope. Look unto me and be ye saved.
The Lord said, I am God, there is none else. Look unto me. Trust
in the Lord with all thine heart. Trust in the Lord. Don't trust
in the fled. Trust in the Lord. Lean not to
thine own understanding. Don't your own worries and fear. That comes from our own understanding. Worries and fear come from what
we're hearing what we're seeing all around us. Let's just hear
what he said. Let's see what he said. Look
under me and be sad. Sit down. Be still and know that
I'm God. Come back. Return under me and rest. And you'll be safe. None of them that put their trust
in him shall be desolate. None of. None of no matter how
weak that trust may be. No matter how weak that faith
may be, none of them. God says this of Israel and of
us, he said, I gave Egypt for your ransom. And many of us, he's given favor
in the sight of the Egyptians, we work for a moment. I gave
Egypt for your ransom, this whole world, I'm passed by it for you.
Sacrifice. Look at chapter 46, this is where
I read quoted from the first thing. Oh, Nancy Park, you love
this. Hearken unto me, verse 3, chapter
46, hearken unto me, O house of Jacob and all the remnant
of the house of Israel, which are born by me from the belly. What does that mean? I have carried
you from the world. There never has been two sets
of footprints in the same. Just one. And then he goes on to say, even
to your old age, verse four, I am he, who to your hoary hairs
I will carry you, I have made and I will bear, even I will
carry you and will deliver No ifs, ands, or buts about it,
is it? No maybes. All the promises of God, John
and him, are yay and amen to the glory of God in Christ Jesus. Oh, my. Look at verse 10. This is what I quoted. I declare
the end from the beginning and from ancient times things that
are not yet done, saying my counsel shall stand and I will do all
my Let me just quote a few other verses. He said over in chapter
48, hear this, hear this now, he said, I'm he, I'm the first,
I'm also the last, hear this old house of Jacob. He said,
I've showed it to you, I've declared it, I've showed you new things
from this time, hidden things other people don't know. He said,
I have loved you. He said, I have graven thee upon
the palms of my hand. He gives in chapter 49 that glorious
picture of the Lord Jesus Christ, whom he sent to redeem his people. The one whom the Egypt despises,
but whom the Lord raised up the covenant for his people, and
he said. That they are engraved on the
palms of his hand to come down here and redeem them because
God loved them. And he says, I've declared it
and it'll come to pass. And he says in chapter 49, he
says, they shall not hunger. They shall not hunger. Nor thirst,
neither shall the sun smite them, but he that hath mercy on them
shall lead them by the springs of water. David said this, didn't he said,
I have been young and now I'm old. In his last days, as he
was around 70 years old, he said, I have been young and I now am
old and I have never seen God's the righteous forsaken. Those
who trust in Christ, not one single person who trust in Christ
shall perish. I've never seen the righteous
forsaken or begging bread. They will always. Have food and
rain, never lack. What else do we need? All right, go back to our text
now in chapter 30. And there in Isaiah 49, Zion
said, but he's forgotten me. Zion said, the Lord has forsaken
me. And he went on to say, can a
woman forsake her second child? She may, but I can't. I can't. So, down here in chapter 30,
verse 15, he says, In returning and rest shall ye be saved. Returning to him. Now, the Lord
has promised to be an ever-present help in time of need, hasn't
he? He's promised that. Where two or three are gathered
together in my name, that's where I'll be. Didn't it? They cannot lie. God who cannot
lie had promised to them. Where two or three are gathered
in my name. Does it matter if the preacher seems to have liberty
or not? If there are two or three gathered in my name, there am
I. And he says, you come. And you'll
find rest. Even if it's just a word in season
from my book. Just a word. And returning to
where his voice is heard, to renew your strength. He said
that over in Isaiah 40. He said that they'll mount up
with wings of eagles. They'll renew their strength.
Let the people renew their strength. Let them come near. Let them
come near together in judgment. And I'll reason with them from
my word. And he said returning and rest
shall you be safe. Rest. Rest. Doesn't God say that quite
often? Rest. Rest. Didn't the Lord Jesus Christ
say that? Come unto me all ye that labor
and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Rest. There remain
at therefore rest to the people of God. And that rest is Jesus
Christ himself. Resting and trusting in the Lord
Jesus Christ. And he said, you'll be saved
eternally. Eternally, we enter into his
rest, his finished work. We'll find red, the Lord said,
though much time was to come, but when he was on Calvary's
tree, he said it is finished. It's finished, it's fulfilled. It's all accomplished. Salvation
of my people, their future is fixed and certain. Now just rest. Just rest right there, resting,
entering into his rest, ceasing from our works, ceasing from
our labors. and ceasing from worried in the
Lord time and time again, say to his. His disciples fear not. Fear not in the world, you shall
have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. I am reigning and ruling over
this world. I. The Lord do all these things,
I am he. thy God and thy Savior. And I
go to prepare a place for them. If it were not so, I would have
told you. And if I go, I will come again to receive you unto
myself, that where I am you may be also. Comfort one another
with these words. Just rest. OK? Don't listen to
Pharaoh. Listen to me. I order Pharaoh,
the Lord said, in returning and rest you'll be saved. You know,
perfect love cast out fear. But that's not talking about
our love, our love is imperfect. It's his love, the love of a
father. The love of Christ. And he said, I give unto them
eternal life and they should never, never. So he said, returning,
come back here, come back to me. returning and rest shall
you be say. And in quietness and confidence
shall be your strength what's that another way of saying wait
on the law wait and trust wait trust wait over but but but wait. All right, don't children do
that? Children are so easily upset about what they see and
what they hear. Oh, oh, oh, oh. And but dad or
mom who knows more than they do, who knows where they're going
and what they're doing. Children don't constantly saying
this. So just wait, hold on, wait. and trust,
confidence, that's what trust means, that's what faith means,
confidence in the Lord, his will, his time, his promise, and that
will be your strength, he said. That shall be your strength,
strength, strength of mind, strength of heart, OK? OK? Everybody going to trust the
Lord fully, never listen to Pharaoh again, right? And you would not. But you say no, no, we got to
run. And we all do this. So they ran,
they ran, tried to run away or ran to something, ran to Egypt. went back to Egypt. After all he told them, but they
went back to Egypt. Can a child of God leave, turn
away from the Lord himself, from the truth unto fables? Can a child of God leave these
riches, the unsearchable riches of Christ and go after the riches
and the treasures of Egypt? Yeah, they can. They can. Sad to say. Can they stay there? No. We're going to see in a minute.
Our salvation is the Lord won't take no for an answer. They said
no. We're going to run. And the Lord
over and over says there's not a horse fast enough to run away
from your troubles. He said, oh, it's vain to trust
in horses. Vain to trust in modern technology. Vain to trust in anything other
than the Lord himself. Try to run away from your troubles,
he said, you try to run and they'll pursue you. Brother Henry Soward
said this one time. He said, you know, I try to run
away from all my problems, and when I get where I'm going, he
said, I'm still there. In other words, I am my biggest
problem. My biggest troubles are within. Don't try to run from your troubles.
Don't run away from the Lord. run to him. Some run away because
of guilt and shame. Oh, no, that's when you need
like an old hound dog in spite of being rebellious and doing
all that and your guilt and shame, just tuck your tail between your
leg, lower your head and come lay at his feet. Don't run away
from him, run to him. You run out there, there's no
help out there. He'll always take you back. Isn't
that amazing? When Hagar ran away the first
time, the Lord found her by a fountain of water, and the Lord said unto
her, where are you going, Hagar? She was ashamed, she was running,
and she said, I'm running away. And he said, return. The Lord
had heard that fiction. When Absalom over in second Samuel
fourteen when Absalom wanted to come home now he was a murderer. Absalom murders brother. Just as it may have been, you
know, we're not to take justice in our own hand, but he did,
but he murdered his killed his brother in revenge for his sister.
But he was on the run and God sent a word through a woman. And here's what it said. The
Lord doth devise means. That he is banished, be not expelled
from him. Though they feel like they are
banished, though they feel like they can't come home, the Lord
devised means that they be not expelled from him. And David
sent word and said, go tell Absalom, come on home. And he did, and
they kissed. And so it says here in our text,
verse 18, and therefore will the Lord wait. Who? On who? That he may be gracious unto
you. Who? Are you reading this? Are you
reading this, Mack? To you is the word of the Lord
sent. The word Lord is going to be
gracious to you. He's waiting to be gracious. Now, this doesn't mean he waits
on people to do something. No, no, no. What this means is
he waits for his purpose to be fulfilled. He waits in his good
time. like he did, waited on that woman
at the well. One day he told his disciples,
I must need to go through some area. What for? We're headed
over here. I know I've got an appointment. And so he went and
he sat on a well and he said, there's nobody here. What are
you waiting on? They walked off and he waited.
And it was an exact moment in time that he had purposed before
the world began for the worst woman in town. He had an appointment. He was waiting to be gracious.
And he's going to be exalted in showing her mercy. He's going
to be exalted. Or like that father. One day,
the father, after years, the prodigal had left, you know,
that worthless, no good son. He had left. Things went on as
usual for years, and all of a sudden, one day, the father walked outside
on the porch and began doing this. And the servant said, Sir, what are you doing? I'm looking for my son. Oh, he's not coming back. Yes,
he is. But he's not worth waiting on. He's my son. He always will be my son. Well,
look yonder. Here he comes. And the father
ran, Stephen, and fell on his neck. Welcome home, and threw
a party. He waits to be gracious. That's
our hope. You see, the long-suffering of
the Lord is our salvation. And he says that you may say
no and you may run but you cannot. You may run like Adam and Eve
right they couldn't. And you may run and you may stay
gone a while but the Lord when the Lord says in his good time.
Come on. Return. And you will return. And you'll be glad. You'll be
glad that he waits to be gracious. you'll be glad and he will be
exalted when he has mercy upon you. Oh and blessed are all they
that wait for him. I just have a feeling knowing
who the Lord is and knowing how he has acted remembering past
mercies to people like me. I just have a feeling that some
of your forlorn children and and whoever loved ones. I just have a feeling for what
it's worth. Well, no, no, forget the feeling,
forget the feeling. I have a word here that says,
the Lord waits to be gracious. And I believe, according to his
word, that it's not over yet. But as
long as this gospel's being prayed, and if the word which he said
is like seed is sown, and will not return void, and he gives
the increase in his time, I just believe that there's some more
coming. And boy, won't he be exalted.
Won't he be exalted by that. And it says, all Israel will
be saved, Paul said. The people, verse 19, will dwell
in Jerusalem, in Zion at Jerusalem, and weep no more. Oh, he'll be
very gracious to thee at the voice of thy cry. Keep crying,
O importunate widower. Keep crying. Keep crying. The Lord hath heard thee. When
he shall hear it, he will answer thee. And though, look at verse
20 in closing, verse 20 and 21. Though the Lord give you the
bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet you have some
teachers. He's giving you some teachers.
Oh my, look at what we have now. Very few places anywhere around
here have one true teacher and preacher, right?
One. Look at this place. Yeah, he's
blessed us, huh? Your eyes will see your teacher,
verse 21, your ears shall hear a word behind you. When you start
to go this way or that way to the right or left, you'll hear
somebody say, no, that's not the way. Here's the way. The
old path. No, no, no. Turn a deaf ear to
Egypt and to Pharaoh. Here's the way. Hear him. Here's
the old path. Walk there and you'll find rest
for yourself. OK, you come back on Sunday and
we'll do this again, OK? We'll return. And renew our strength. And find rest and quietness and
confidence. will be saved, us and our children. OK, stand with me. Our Lord and our God, thank you
for the sure mercies of David, the word of God that liveth and
abideth forever. Forever, O Lord, thy word is
settled in heaven. Settle it in our hearts and minds
that thou art God, and beside thee there is none else, and
that Jesus Christ is our Lord Our Redeemer, our Savior, our
Kinsman, our Mediator, our Intercessor, the One who is coming back again
for His people. Settle us, establish us, strengthen
us according to Thy Word. Give us strength at least for
a little while, and we may go in this blessed walk in this
faith. Lord, we believe, help our unbelief. Stop our ears to this world and
tune our ears to that we pray. It's in Christ's name we ask
these things. Amen. You're dismissed. And now, if you could just stand
to the side of the microphone. So, usually it will work.