? But there's something about
that name ? Let's do it again. ? Jesus, Jesus, Jesus ? There's
just something about that name Savior, Jesus, like the fragrance
after the rain. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, let all Earth proclaim. Kings and kingdoms will all pass
away, but there's something about that day. When this passing world is done,
when has sunk yon glaring sun, when in glory, looking for life's
finished story. And Lord, shall I fully know,
not saving, how much I owe? When I hear the wicked call On
the rocks and hills to fall I'll see them start and shrink
On the fiery tailor's brink Then, Lord, shall I fall in? No, not to them How much I owe I stand before the throne Dressed
in beauty not my own When I see thee at thou art Then, Lord, shall I fully know
not till then how much I love you. Chosen not for good in me Wakened
up from breath to flee Hidden in the Savior's sight By thy
Spirit sanctified Teach me, Lord, on earth to show By thy love
how much I love. It's good to have Brother Shepard
back with us. Gary has preached here many times
before, and we're delighted he could be with us again this year. He pastored Sovereign Grace Baptist
Church in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Been a good, dear brother
and friend for lots of years. Gary, good to have you come preach
to us. When Jim asked me to come, I was surprised. I'm always surprised when I'm
asked to come another time. But I was particularly cautious. I almost didn't come after what
happened to me last year. A lady followed me home. And I said, Lord, can I keep
her? And he let me keep her. And I'm thankful. I want you to turn with me to
Psalm 30. Psalm 30. I hope I have something from the Lord? I want to. I want us to look here in Psalm
30 at two verses especially. And that is verse 4 and verse
5. Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints
of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. For his anger endureth but a
moment, in his favor is life, weeping may endure for a night,
but joy cometh in the morning. Most in religion in our country, I think, are
dispensationalists. And they say that God's people
will be all raptured away and not have to face the great tribulation. I don't find that in the Bible. And I don't find it in the experiences
of most of God's people that I know. I haven't found it to be true
in my experience. Rather, when God revealed the
truth to me, when he enabled me to believe it, that's when the tribulation began
in many ways. And with the Lord's people, if
tribulation were greater, there wouldn't be anyone who could
endure. I can't imagine greater heartache. I can't imagine greater sorrow
or greater pain or greater trials that I've seen amidst the Lord's
people. As a matter of fact, most that
I know, in one way or another, are in great tribulation. And it's great in part because
of our identifying with the true Christ. If you compromise with
this world, especially this religious world, everything is fine. It's great because of bearing
witness to all around us of the true gospel. Bearing witness of the grace
of God in the face of all these tribulations. Because I believe the truth is
that people are not so much looking at how we act as they are to how we react to
all these tribulations. And our Lord said in John chapter
16, He said, these things have I spoken unto you, that in me
you might have peace, but in the world you shall have
tribulation. But be of good cheer, I have
overcome the world. peace in the light of Christ
amidst all our tribulation. And I was reading this week in
John, where John on the Isle of Patmos, he writes in Revelation
and he refers to himself as your companion in tribulation. Paul says of God, he says, who
comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort
them which are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith we ourselves
are comforted of God. We receive comfort in our tribulations,
and with that same comfort, we're to comfort others that are in
tribulation. And then he says again, Paul
does in 2 Corinthians 7, he says, great is my boldness of speech
toward you, great is my glorying of you, I am filled with comfort,
I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation. And yet in the midst of all of
this, the Lord commands us here, as he does in other places, to
sing. Sing. He says, sing unto the
Lord. He says, we are to give thanks,
you saints, you separated ones, you pilgrims and strangers in
the world, those who are not of the world. This is not our
home. You tried ones. You persecuted
ones. You despised by the world. And the Lord's people who believe
the truth, those who preach the truth, when these trials come
in our lives, the religious world stands ready to say, That's the way they did David. He said, when these things came
upon me, when all of these afflictions came upon me, they said, Aha! Told you. They can't be the children
of God. He can't be a preacher of the
gospel. They can't be people of the truth. Look at all these things. They
have all these words, if not outside, inside. Aha! Serves them right. Serves her
right. But we're to sing because all
our tribulations, all our afflictions, all our trials, or a prelude to joy. That's what I call this. Prelude
to joy. Eternal joy. I believe there's
a song by that name or a piece of music. But it came to my mind
when I was thinking about this. This is the most unlikely unmanlike
thing that ever could be, that all these afflictions and tribulations
and trials and such as that, they're just a prelude to joy. Paul, Peter, They all went in
acts confirming the souls of the disciples and exhorting them
to continue in the faith that we through much tribulation enter
into the kingdom of God. It's not something that happens
once in a while. It's an everyday thing. It's
a lifetime experience. And he reminds us of this, he
says, for the kingdom of God is not meat and drink. It's not
all this health and wealth and crazy happiness and foolish joy
and nonsense based on nothing but the fact we're commanded
to be such. But he says it's righteousness.
And it's peace. The end result, which is joy
in the Holy Ghost. And this command, as it does
here, this command often comes to us when we don't feel like
singing. When our heart is more full of
complaints than thanks. When the hand of God lays heavy
on us. But just as there is always reason
for the saints to praise our God and to thank our God, so
is there in these times. And he gives one reason for it.
There are many reasons for it. But he gives one reason for it
in verse 5, when he says, weeping may endure
for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. And I got to thinking there about
how Such contrasts are set forth before us in that verse. Contrasts like anger, favor. Moments, a lifetime. Weeping, joy. Night, mourning. But the light is that in God's
mercy and in God's grace because of Christ, there always follows joy. You see, if we are honest, we
would have to admit that even in our natural life, There have
been more days of joy than weeping. And we go through a day like
today, we complain because it was cold and rainy, but the truth
is we have more days of sunshine than we have of rain. His anger, but for a moment, Weeping just
for a night, joy comes in the morning. And when our Lord, before He
left this world, He told those disciples, when He left them word about
His return, He said, a little while, It's just going to be
a little while, and I'm with you. But all these things, as I'm
trying to tell you tonight, are just a prelude to joy, eternal
joy. And we know that, first of all,
because of Christ Himself. We know that's true concerning
our Lord Jesus Christ, and we can see God's favor toward us
as we are in Him. When they couldn't figure out
why the Lord Jesus Christ was being dealt with like He was,
while he was having to suffer, while he was enduring this affliction,
while all these things were happening to him, he said, ought not Christ
to have suffered these things and to enter into his glory? The sufferings of our Lord Jesus
Christ, they were just a prelude to his glory. In Hebrews 12, we read these
words, wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great
a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the
sin which does so easily beset us, and let us run with patience
the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the author
and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured
the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right
hand of God. And since His sufferings, since
what He endured because of the judgment of God against our sin,
just like Brother Norm set forth so clearly tonight. What he speaks
of anger in this particular psalm is not anger because of God as
a punishing judge, but as we imagine his anger might be when
it's really his anger as a father. My daughter, she's Look, so many
years old. And if I speak even sternly to
her at this age, if I even point out an obvious truth, as fathers
are wont to do sometimes, she says, what are you mad about? I'm not mad. The anger he speaks of here is
not of a punishing judge, but of a father. It's his discipline. It's his chastening hand. It's
what appears to be mistreatment. But he knows our frame. And he remembers that we're just
dust. And as a father pities his children,
he never stops pitting us. He knows what we are. It's not the wrath of God as
a judge. And when he calls upon us to
take up your cross and follow me. If you're his child, there is no
curse in your cross. There is no curse. in your cross. And there are two things that
I want us to see clearly tonight. And all these things are because
of Christ love for His people. They're all because His death
on the cross that He endured for them. It's all because of
what He accomplished on our behalf. It's all because of what we have
in Him. When it comes to trials and afflictions, sorrows, conflicts. When the hand of His providence
brings night, joy will come in the morning. That's His promise. It will come either in the morning, Or it'll come in the morning
of His appointment. Or it'll come in the morning
when the day breaks never to end again. But it's coming. And so we now,
even now, possess it in Christ because when He says, weeping
endureth for the night, endureth here means to lodge. May come to visit us, but it's not come to stay. May be here for a season, but
it's not here to stay. And when He speaks of them, they
are always spoken of as brief. They seem long to us, don't they? We're often saying, how long?
How long can this go on? Oh man, I must have said that
for more than I want to admit I have. How long am I going to
have to deal with this? How long am I going to have to
endure this? How long am I going to have to
put up with this? But he says in Psalm 103, He
will not always chide, neither will he keep his anger forever. It's not eternal. It's temporary. In Isaiah 26, he says this, Come,
my people, enter into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee. Hide thyself, as it were, for
a little moment, until the ending nation be overpassed. There's a whole lot going on
in this world. There's a whole lot just to look
out there and see what seems to be taking place and how things
happen to seem to be degenerating on every hand in morality, in
politics, in everything. But it won't last. He says in Isaiah 54, for a small
moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercy will I gather
thee. Every time there is something
to encourage his people in the endurance of all these things
that he has ordained by his wise and gracious hand. I've had a little bit of trouble
in my life. And the one thing that seemed
to sustain me in the very worst moment that I could ever experience
was the fact that in my heart, from the Word of God, I absolutely
knew and was convinced in my heart that everything was ordered
by a wise and good and precious Heavenly Father. Didn't do much good when folks
walked by and said, she'll be alright. Things like that. Our comfort's in the Word of
God. Our comfort is in what God has
promised us. We can't find any comfort or
anything in the face of this world with regard to our afflictions
and trials and troubles and all these things. But we have great
and precious promises that belong to every one of God's people. They're yea and amen in Christ,
and they're true. But I'm such a creature of time. A day is with the Lord as a thousand
years and a thousand years is a day, but every day is a thousand
years with me. If I'm in pain, if I'm in heartache,
if I'm in sorrow, but he said it's just a little while, just
a little while. In a little wrath I hid my face
from thee for a moment, but with everlasting kindness will I have
mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer." Israel kept saying, Lord, they
kept telling Moses, you just tell us what to do and we'll
do it. He told them what to do and they never did it. They never were blessed because
of their performance or obedience. They were always blessed by God's
gracious hand. And this is exactly what the
apostle says to us. He says, for our affliction,
our light affliction. I'll tell you who's got light
afflictions. All you folks. I'm the one with the heavy afflictions. Isn't that the way we feel all
of ourselves? Nobody's got it this bad. David looked at his enemies and
he said, they're all faring so much better than I'm faring.
And I'm trying to serve the Lord. And he didn't get it right in
his mind, in his heart, until he went down, heard the Word
of God. for our light affliction, which
is but for a moment. Worketh for us a far more exceeding
and eternal weight of glory, while we look not at the things
which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things
which we have seen are temporal, but no natural eye. But the things which are not
seen. Faith is the substance of things not seen. And some days we wake in this
world and we don't see and we can't see a reason even for existing
another day on this earth. We can't see by our circumstances,
by our bodily feelings. We can't see by what's going
on in the world. We can't see any reason to be
thankful, any reason to be hopeful. But with the eye of faith, God
enables us to see. All we have in the Lord Jesus
Christ. All we have because of His mercy
to us. All we have because He shed His
precious blood and His righteousness. Matthew 24, he says, for then
shall be great tribulation such as was not seen since the beginning
of the world to this time, nor ever shall be, and except those
days should be shortened, there shall no flesh be saved. But for the elect's sake, those days shall be shortened. They're not long. They're not
long. And like an unpleasant house
guest, thank God they're just visiting.
They're not going to stay. I read once where an old Puritan
said, companies like fish, after three days they begin to sink. That's the way troubles are,
but they're not saved. They're not lasting. They're
just temporary. That's the first thing. And the
second thing is, the favor of God in Christ, the joyful song
that He gives in His grace, is for a long lifetime, and much
more, it's for eternity. It does not change, and it does
not end. all our sufferings, persecutions, afflictions, troubles that we
face every day. But that joy that comes in Christ
is never going to change and is never going to end. Turn over to Romans chapter 8. Look over in Romans 8 at verse
18. Somebody said they knew Paul
was a southerner. Because he said, I reckon. Verse 18, For I reckon that the
sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared
with the glory which shall be revealed in us. They're not worthy to be even
compared. They're light. They're temporary. Their ending, look over in verse
35. He says, who shall separate us
from the love of Christ first thing? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution,
or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sore. That's a pretty long
list. He said, as it is written, for
thy sake we are killed all the day long. We are accounted as
sheep for the slaughter. That's how the world deals with
us, especially the religious world. That's how it seems like
disease deals with us. It seems like that every person
Deals with us in that way. But look at that next word. Nay. No. In all these things we are
more than conquerors through him that loved us, for I am persuaded
that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities,
nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height,
nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us
from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. You're never going to be separated. Over in the Psalms, I believe
it is, it talks about the Joyful Song. Have you heard the Joyful
Song? Well, the Joyful Song is the
Gospel. The Joyful Song is about what Christ did, not what you
ought to do. It's about what Christ felt,
not what you feel. And when all of it comes together,
what it says about Him and what He accomplished on our behalf,
when we hear the good news, that's an unending song. It's going to last forever. Peter said, but rejoice inasmuch
as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings, that when his glory
shall be revealed, you may be glad also with exceeding joy. I think about that sometimes. When Christ comes and everybody
is present before him, And everybody's knowledgeable as to what's going
on. They're not sleeping somewhere
in the back of the church. They're all going to be wide-eyed
when he comes. And he'll say, Norm Wells? And I'll see just all these folks
live around the dows. That crazy preacher. That's him. God's gonna sure put it on him
for sure. Enter in, thou good and faithful
servant. That's gonna be a great day of
vindication, Bill. That'll be the one distinguishing
fact among those who claim to preach the gospel. was Christ
will seal, I'm confident Christ will put His hand to the gospel
we preach because it gives Him all the glory. Peter again, blessed be the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. which according to his
abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by
the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance
incorruptible and undefiled, that fate is not a way reserved
in heaven for you who are kept by the power of God through faith
unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time wherein ye greatly
rejoice. wherein ye greatly rejoice, though
now for a season. If need be, you're in heaviness
through manifold temptation, that the trial of your faith,
being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though
it be tried with fire, might be found unto the praise and
honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. When all these things happen, and they happen to us all, sometimes it's pain of body,
Sometimes it's persecution. I remember when I left that Southern Baptist
Church where I was a pastor, not altogether voluntarily, but
when I left it, a man who was supposed to be my
friend He came by the house when I wasn't there and he talked
to my wife like he was offering his condolences that I died. That's some friend. And that's always the way it
is. People talk about you. People spread lies about you. People believe lies about you. Just lots of things. But they're just temporary. They're
not worthy to be compared. But the God of all grace, who
hath called us unto his eternal glory by Jesus Christ, after
that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish,
strengthen, settle you. Turn over to the book of Revelation. Revelation 7, first of all. Revelation 7. Verse 13, And one of the elders answered,
saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes,
and whence did they come? I think if I believed some people's
theology, they would be white without robes. because they be
white in themselves. But no, these are covered, clothed
in the linen, fine white linen, which is the righteousness of
the saints, which is the righteousness of Christ. Which came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou
knowest. And he said unto me, these are
they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed
their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore
are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night
in his temple. And he that sitteth on the throne
shall dwell among men." There's a lot of good stuff there.
But the one I want you to see tonight is in verse 14. Who are these? They're those that came out. We gonna make it. They came out
of great tribulation. If they came out of it, God must
have put them in it. But He didn't leave them in it.
He brought them out of it. They came out of great tribulation. They made it. And then the last, we've been that endurance for
the night. is death. But our hope is this. Paul said, for me to live is
Christ and to die is gain. Even death for that
child of God in Christ is a prelude to joy. Eternal, lasting joy
that we can't even imagine. It's gain. My friend, when God
says something is gain, you can count on it being gain, not loss. in our text in the psalm. In verse 4, he says, give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness. All His holiness is in Christ.
And then he says this in verse 11. Thou hast turned for me my
mourning into dancing. Thou hast put off my sackcloth
and girded me with gladness. To the end that my glory may
sing praise to Thee and not be silent, O Lord my God, I will
give thanks unto Thee forever. We're thanking our Lord now for all He's done for us, like
you said. A righteousness that He's clothed
us with never to be taken from us again. For giving us His Son, His unspeakable
gift, and making us to be in Him full of joy. Joy unspeakable. And so all these tribulations
come. They're like all the waves that
come into the beach where I live. It's not a question as to whether
or not they're coming. It's when is the next one coming
and how bad will it be? And all of them aren't physical
affections. They're pains of the heart. Pains
of the mind. Children. Friends. The body and all these things. And then cap it all off on the
sinners we always show ourselves to be. I just weep sometimes, as we say
in North Carolina, at my own sorriness. My own prayerfulness. my complaint,
my grieving, my griping. That's just going to be for a
night. And when we stand before the
Lord Jesus Christ and are fully made like unto Him, and we will
be. We will be. I'm like Paul on that ship. I
believe it shall be as God has said unto me. Weeping does endure for a night. Joy comes in the morning. God's
morning. And everything that happens to
us in this world is just a prelude to joy. It has been a wonderful evening. Thank you for the messages we
give. Thanks to God for His blessings
on the services. Let's get our psalm books. Let's
go to 4, verse 74. Now, we've got some refreshments
for you in the back if you want to stay and fellowship. And I
hope that you'll do that. And we'll look forward to being
here to listen to the Gospel again in the morning. And let's
be dismissed. Let's stand together. 474. Let's sing about only a
sinner saved by grace. Not have I gotten, but of what
I receive. Grace hath bestowed it since
I have believed. Oh only a sinner save my only I say Once I was foolish and sin ruled
my heart Causing my footsteps from God to depart Jesus has
found me, happy in my case. I now am a sinner, saved by grace. Only a sinner, saved by grace. Only a sinner, saved by grace. This is my story, to God be the
glory I'm only a sinner, saved by grace Tears unavailing, no
merit to hide Mercy had saved me, or else I was died. Sin had alarmed me, fearing God's
grace. But now I'm a sinner, saved by
grace. Only a sinner saved by grace
Only a sinner saved by grace This is my story to God be the
glory I'm only a sinner saved by grace Oh Only a sinner saved by grace. Only a sinner saved by grace. This is my story. To God be the glory. I'm only a sinner saved by grace.