I'm just glad somebody asked
Paul and Megan to sing that song. Bless them all hard. Gabe, thank
you for that message. As Gabe was talking there about
our Lord picking up that lamb and laying it on his shoulders,
I thought about a song we sung this past Sunday at our church.
And the title of the hymn is, I am his and he is mine. Now,
why don't you listen to this third verse. And I pray that
our Lord right now would let us enter into what this is. Things
that were once wild alarms cannot now disturb my rest. Clothed
in everlasting arms, pillowed on the loving breast. Oh, to
lie forever here, doubts in care and self-resign, wily whispers
in my ear. I am his and he is mine. Oh, that he may whisper in our
ear and say, I am yours. You are mine. You would open
your Bible to the book of second Corinthians chapter one. Second Corinthians chapter one. We're going to begin reading
in verse three. Blessed be God, even the Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God
of all comfort, who comforted us in all our tribulation, that
we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble. By
the comfort we're with, we ourselves are comforted of God. For as
the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also
aboundeth by Christ. And whether we be afflicted,
it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual
in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer. For whether
we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. And
our hope for you is steadfast. knowing that as ye are partakers
of the suffering, so shall ye also be of the consolation. The apostle says, for we would
not, brethren, have you to be ignorant of our trouble which
came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above
strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life. But We had the sentence of death
in ourselves that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God
who raises the dead, who delivered us from so great a death and
doth deliver in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us. The Apostle Paul was writing
here to these believers and encouraging them in time of trouble. Every
one of us here tonight are in trouble. Job said a man that
is born of woman is few days, and we only have few days. And
those few days are full of trouble. Full of trouble. He's writing
to encourage them that they could have consolation from our Lord.
This is what he says in chapter four, verse three. We are troubled
on every side, yet not distressed. We are perplexed, but not in
despair. Persecuted, but not forsaken.
Cast down, but not destroyed. Always bearing about in the body
the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might
be made manifest in our bodies. Verse 17, for our light afflictions,
which are 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 are seen are temporal, but the things which are not
seen are eternal." Paul speaks of the trouble that he had in
Asia. And what I can read, no one knows
exactly what that is. It really doesn't matter because
he was always in trouble. Listen to what he said in chapter
11. Verse 24. Now listen to this.
You think you're in trouble. We think we have trouble. Now
listen to this. This is a man who had trouble. Of the Jews,
five times received I forty stripes, save one. That's a hundred and
ninety-five stripes. Thrice, three times I suffered
shipwreck. A night and a day I have been
in the deep. In journeys often, in perils of water, in perils
of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils by the
heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness,
in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren. Now that's
trouble. Trouble. And as I thought about this,
I couldn't help but think about David. The man after God's own
heart. The one God raised up to be the
king over his nation, his people. He was chased by King Saul. And
here's what David said, 1 Samuel 27, 1. And David said in his
heart, I shall one day perish by the hand of Saul. There is
nothing better for me than, than I should speedily escape into
the land of the Philistines and Saul shall despair of me. He'll
leave me alone there. I just need a little rest. I
need a little peace. I'll even run to the Philistines. to seek
me, he won't seek me anymore on any coast of Israel, so shall
I escape out of his hands. Paul is saying that these trials
were sin of God to teach us not to depend upon ourselves, but
to depend upon our great sovereign God. That's what he's saying.
That's what he's saying. In 2 Timothy 3, verse 11, he
said, persecutions, afflictions, which
came to me at Antioch, and Iconium, and Lystra, which persecutions
I endured." But you listen to this, but out of them all, the
Lord delivered me. That's what I want us to think
about. Our God is the God that delivers His people. He said
in verse 10, which will be our text, he give the three tenths. He said, he yet delivered us
from so great a death and he doth still deliver us right now. And then he shall yet deliver
us. What does it mean to deliver?
It means to free. It means to release. It means
to set at Liberty. It means to rescue. It means
to save. When that shepherd went and picked
up that little sheep, you know what he did? He delivered it.
He rescued it. He set it free. That's what he
did. God has a people called his sheep
that he chose before the foundation of the world. And you know why
he delivers us now? Everything that happens now in
time is because of what happened in eternity. is to bringing about
the delivering of those people that he chose and gave to his
darling son and put them in the sun. And all this is coming to
pass. And it will come to pass. It's
no accident we're here gathered here tonight. No accident. It's all on purpose. It may be
that our Lord intends to deliver one of his lost sheep. Oh, wouldn't
that be a blessing? I want us to consider how our
great God has delivered us and how he is delivering us, listen,
even as I speak right now, and he will yet deliver us. Who delivered us? Who? It is the one that's done all
the work. He's going to do the rescue and he's going to do the
delivery. Listen, in 2 Timothy chapter 1, verses 9 and 10, who
have saved us and called us not within holy, called us within
holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his
own purpose and grace, which is given us in Christ Jesus before
the world began, but is now made manifest by the appearing of
our savior, Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death and brought
life and immortality to life through the gospel. He chose us. set us apart from
the foundation of the world, and everything that has ever
happened, listen to me, everything that has ever happened, has happened
for his honor, for his glory, and for the salvation of his
people. Everything, everything. To do what? To deliver them.
Everything, everything, everything. And we know that all things work
together for good. to them that love God, to them
who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did
foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image
of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Whom he did predestinate, he also called, and whom he called,
he also justified, and whom he justified, whom he also glorified. I remember the first time on
a tape I heard Pastor Henry Mahan make this statement. He used
a term called provenient grace. You don't know what that is.
It's grace before grace. Grace before grace. Through many
dangers, tolls, and snares, I have already come, as grace has brought
me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home. As I begin to think
about this, thinking about pervenient grace, grace before grace, God
delivering us in time past, We know there's a day and time that
God crosses the path of His children. It's called the time of love.
It's called the day when He makes them will and then the day of
His power. But before that, He preserves them even up to that
time. I rebelled for a long time, a long time, even in religion. But God spared me. He delivered
me. You remember Moses? Remember
Moses in the book of Exodus? The children of Israel are now
in Egypt. They've been in Egypt for 400 years. Don't you know,
after 400 years, you would think, is God ever going to deliver
us? Has he forgot about us? And then
there was a Pharaoh that was raised up who did not know Joseph.
And as the Israelites, God's people, began to multiply, this
Pharaoh says, we're going to kill every male baby. We're going to drown him in the
river. How would you like to have been a Hebrew mother? And Moses' mother one day conceives,
then she has a baby. And instead of it being a little
girl, it's a boy. How's she going to deliver this
baby? How's he going to be protected? It said she kept him hid for
three months. Now what's she going to do? Listen to what it
says in Exodus chapter 2 verse 3, now listen. And when she could
no longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes,
and dotted it with slime and with pitch, and put the child
therein, and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink. What
did God use to save this child? It's kind of ironic, it's an
ark, isn't it? I can see her take that child.
Now you picture this. Take that little child. And she's
going to put it in the very river where they've been drowning the
babies. And she takes that little baby and she lays it in that
basket. And she has to leave it. How's
it going to be delivered? You're talking about trouble.
What's going to happen to my baby? That's one of God's little acts. He preserves, he keeps, he delivers. And his sister, Moses' sister,
stood afar off to wit what would be done of him. Can you imagine
her standing there at the bank of the river watching that little
basket? That's my little brother in that basket. What's going
to happen to my little brother? And the daughter of Pharaoh just
happened to come down to wash herself in the river. I think
it was an accident. And her maiden walked along by
the riverside, and when she saw the ark among the flags, she
sent her maid to fetch it. And when she had opened it, she
saw the child, and she behold, and the babe wept. She had compassion on him and
said, this is one of the Hebrew children. And she's Pharaoh's
daughter. Why didn't she just throw it in the river? She couldn't.
She couldn't. Listen to me. Everything in this
world serves our God's purpose. Even Pharaoh's daughter. Ain't
that right? That's what I'm talking about. Turn with me to, I'm going to
show you this in the book of Acts chapter seven, where Stephen,
used this in his sermon, made reference to it. Acts chapter seven, beginning
in verse 17. But when the time of the promise
drew nigh, what promise? What promise? The promise that
God made. He told Abraham, he said, they're
going to be there for 430 years, but one day I'm going to bring
them out. I'm going to deliver them. And when the time of the
promise drew near, which God had sworn to Abraham, the people
grew and multiplied in Egypt to another king of Rhodes, which
knew not Joseph. The same dealt subtlety with
our kingdom and evil and treated our fathers so that they cast
their young children to the end that they might not live. In
which time Moses was born and was exceeding fair and nourished
up in his father's house three months." Notice that statement
in verse 21, and when he was cast out. I don't know what that
means, but that just struck my attention this evening. And when
he was cast out, Pharaoh's daughter took him up. You know what I thought when
it was cast out? What was that little infant done? When it was cast out into
the field? When it was cast out, Pharaoh's
daughter took him up and nourished him for her own son. And Moses
was learned in all the wisdom of Egypt. and was mighty in words
and deeds. And when he was full forty years
old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children
of Israel. And seeing one of them suffer
wrong, he defended him and avenged him that was oppressed and smoked
the Egyptian. For he supposed his brethren
would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver
them. But they understood not. Don't
you think some way this come upon Moses' heart. He had compassion
for his brethren, the Jews. He was raised an Egyptian. He sees this Egyptian messing
with this Israelite. He kills that Egyptian. He thought,
he supposed they would understand that God by his hand would deliver
them, but they understood not. And look, the next day he showed
himself unto them as they strove. and would have set them at one
again, saying, Sirs, we are, ye are brethren. Why do you do
this wrong one to another? But he that did his neighbor
wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge
over us? With thou kill men, as thou didst the Egyptian yesterday.
And Moses fled at this saying. And he was a stranger in the
land of Midian, where he would get two sons. And when forty
years were expired, In the book of Exodus, it said it was 40
years on the backside of the dead. Backside of the dead. You
ever been on the backside of something? You know what God's doing? God
is teaching Moses and he's teaching us that salvation is his, it's
in his arm. I can see, I can see Moses, I
can see him have on his Egyptian garb, and he thinks, well, I
can deliver by my strength. God says, no, uh-oh, you're going
to the backside of the desert, and I'm going to teach you, your
strength is in me. Moses fled at that saying, was
a stranger in the land of medium, where he would get two sons,
and when 40 years were expired, what's this? There appeared to
him in the wilderness on Mount Sinai, an angel of the Lord,
in the flame of fire, in a bush. that burned and was not consumed. It's the goodwill of him that
dwelleth in the bush. And when Moses saw it, he wondered
at the sight, and as he drew near to behold, it was the voice
of the Lord came unto him, saying, I am the God of thy fathers,
the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.
Then Moses trembled, and durst not behold. Then said the Lord
unto him, put off thy shoes from off thy feet for the place whereon
thou standest is holy ground. I said all that to bring us to
this verse. You think about this. God's people been in bondage
for 400 years. What's God going to do? I did
exactly what he's going to do. He's going to bring them out.
And here's what he told the one that was in the bush, the one
that the bush burned and it would not consume. I have seen, I have
seen the affliction of my people, which is in Egypt, and I have
heard their groanings and I am come down to deliver them. But he say, I've come down. The God of glory, as you see,
came down, took upon himself human flesh to save his people.
Did he save them? He brought them all out. There
was none of them left. Let me tell you, God's going
to save all his people. And he's going to arrange it. He's going
to keep them. He's going to preserve them.
He's going to watch over them. And listen, he will send them
a deliverer. God uses means. God has ordained
through the preaching of the gospel to save them which believe.
I'm so glad this evening God sent me a gospel preacher that
told me the truth about God and about myself. And God brought him out. God
brought him out. Let me tell you something. I
think I've shared this one time in the pulpit of my God's provenient
grace. I lived in rebellion for years,
for years. On March the 29th, 1973, A woman that was about 33 years
old. She had a daughter, which was 16. And she had a son that
was 13. That son was me. We were in a
car one Thursday afternoon and it was raining. My mother was
taking my sister to work. And on the way to work, it was
raining. And they said, I don't remember
much of it. They said she began the hydroplane and she turned
across, right across the traffic, oncoming traffic, and here come
another car. Hit right in the passenger door. Killed my mother
and my sister instantly. Why did God spare me? The only
way I can explain it, deliver him from going down into the
pit, I have found the answer. One day, God crossed my path
with the gospel. Many years later, but in the
time of love, he crossed my path. He put his skirt over me and
he said to me. It said in our text, he hath
delivered us from so great a death. He brings all his elect, listen
to me, he brings every one of his elect to the place that they
look to his darling son and bow at his feet. And you know what
he does? He delivers them. He sets them free. We don't look
to a day, we look to a person. That day the prison doors flung
open and I was set free, I was rescued. And this was all in
the past. So what's the next point? He
hath delivered us and he doth deliver us. Religion has this
idea that it's something that happened in the past and that's
it. It's just something that stays old. Life never gets old. You know what he does? He still
keeps coming, finding his lost sheep, because all we do is wonder,
and he has to keep coming and getting us and putting us on
his shoulders and bringing us back. I am saved, and I am being saved. I'll tell you as I stand before
you tonight, As a depraved, helpless sinner, I need to be delivered
from myself right now. Right now. And it never changes. It's every day. I'm glad it says
in Lamentations that his mercies are new every morning. Great
is thy faithfulness. He said, that's my little sheep
and I am going to deliver him today. And he does. First Corinthians 1.18, for the
preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness.
Foolishness. But unto us, which are being
saved, this gospel is the power of God. You ever thought about this in
the model prayer that our Lord, this is what he told us to pray.
You know what he said? This is what we pray. Lead us
not into temptation and deliver us from evil. You know what the
evil is? It's inside this heart of mine. It's not getting any better.
It's not improving any. It seems like it gets worse. Another story, you remember,
I always refer to it as the three Hebrew children, I guess, because
that's what I was taught when I was in little Sunday school.
But they were three Hebrews. And they were in Babylon. And
as I thought about this, you think about the children of Israel,
where were they at? They're in Egypt, in the land of Ham. Where were
these children at? Babylon. You know what Babylon
is? It's the seat of idolatry. Why
are they here? Why are they here? God put them
here. God put him there. One day a man named Nebuchadnezzar,
he sets up this big image. And he said, we're going to play
the music. And when we play the music, you know what everybody's
going to do? Everybody listen now. When we play the music,
everybody's going to follow in your face and you're going to
worship in this image. Or we're going to throw you into a fiery
furnace. The choice is up to you. And when they begin to play
the music, you know what happened? Everybody's falling on their
face. Why are they falling on their face? They're afraid of
the fiery furnace. Does that not sound familiar?
Isn't that what they use in religion? And they get people to bow before
their gods. But standing over there somewhere, there's three
men that will not bow. They won't bow. They didn't bow. Here's what Nebuchadnezzar said.
He said, maybe you didn't hear me the first time. He says, now
if you be ready that at the what time you hear the sound of the
cornet, the flute, the sack button, all these instruments, and all
kinds of music, that you fall down and worship the image, which
I have made well. But if you worship not, you shall
be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning, fiery furnace.
And listen to this statement. And who is that God that shall
deliver out of my hands? Who's gonna deliver you out of
my hands? Who does he think he is, God? Yeah, that's who he
thinks he is. Listen to this. Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego answered and they said unto the king, O Nebuchadnezzar,
we're not careful to answer thee in this matter. Now listen to
this, listen. If it be so, our God whom we
serve, is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace. And he will deliver us out of
your hand. But if not be, if he don't deliver
us, now here's where the rub is. It was not so bad if we say,
well, over here, this fiery furnace, he's not going to make me go
through that. Now that'd be okay. What if he still puts you in
it? What if he still makes you go through it? Now that's a different
question. They said, if it be not so, but
be if not, if he doesn't see fit to deliver us, listen, be
it known to the old king that we will not serve thy gods, nor
worship the golden image which you've set up. We're not bowing
to your gods. Now listen to me. As I thought about this, sometimes
it seems like this fire on the inside of my heart is just raging. Isn't it? And you know what it
wants you to do? It wants you to bow to it. It wants you to bow to it. And
if you don't bow, you know what he says? Well, we're going to
turn it up seven times hotter. We're going to make it that much
worse. You know what they said? We're
still not bowing. What made the difference with
those three men? What made the difference with those three men?
I'll tell you exactly what made the difference. It's called grace. Only grace can do that. Only
grace can deliver you from your pride and your selfishness. And
we could spend all night just naming things. And it wants you
to just bow to it. Bow to this God of this world
and everything else. And grace says we will not bow. He did it seven times harder. These three men, Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego fell down in the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
Now listen. And Nebuchadnezzar the king was
astonished and rose up in haste. And he spake and said unto the
counselors, did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the
fire? Banter said unto the king, true, O king? And he answered
and said, lo, I say four men. And they're loose, and they're
walking. in the midst of the fire and
they have no hurt. And the form of the fourth is
like the son of God. Listen to me. These three men
were cast into this fiery furnace, but instead of it consuming them,
it only burned off the things that bound them. Why does God
put you in the flame? I don't know about you, but I
have a whole lot of things that bind me. Don't you? A whole lot of things. You ever
get afraid? The fear of men brings a snare.
God's not giving us the spirit of fear, but power and love in
us, Almighty. What is it that binds you? Whatever it is. When God puts
you in the fire, It will burn it off. When you have to endure the furnace
of affliction, remember the fourth man. He said, I will never leave thee
nor forsake thee. They were delivered. Listen,
they were delivered not from the furnace, but by going through
the furnace. Listen to this song. When through
fiery trials thy pathway shall lie, my grace all sufficient
shall be thy supply. The flame shall not hurt thee,
I only design thy drops to consume. That's the binding thing. The
drops to consume and thy gold to refine. You know, when they
brought the children of Israel out of the fiery furnace, you
know what they said? We don't even smell smoke on
them. How can that be? They were delivered. They were rescued. They were
kept. And now God tells you, that's
exactly how He does it. And lastly, He will yet deliver
us. Romans 7, 24. Oh, wretched man
that I am. Who shall deliver me from the
body of this death? I'd always heard this described
like this old wretched man. Like you said, it's taken a dead
corpse, rotten dead corpse. And what they would do, they
would tie it to a person's back and make them carry that body
around. That's the wretched man. Hawker described it this way.
He said, you don't carry it on your back, you carry it on your
face. It's his face to your face. And
every time you breathe in, you have to experience that old wretched
man. Who's going to deliver me? Who's
going to deliver you from this old wicked, wretched man? Who? I thank God through Jesus Christ. But I understand Apostle Paul
been walking with our Lord many years when he made that statement.
In religion they said, oh, that's a carnal Christian. That's every
child of God. You cry out every day, who's
going to deliver me? Who's going to deliver me? Who's
going to deliver me from the body of this death? There's only
one. Listen to this, Galatians 1 verse
4. who gave himself for our sins. Why? Why did he endure all the
wrath and judgment of God? Why did he do that? That he might deliver us from
this present evil world. He's going to deliver us. Every child of God, every elect,
chosen, redeemed sinner, every one of them is going to be delivered
in his time. That's amazing. Pointed out the children of Israel
were in Egypt. The children of Israel were in
Babylon. And I thought about another one.
I thought of a man named Lot who's living in a place called
Sodom. We live in Sodom. Sodom lives in us. You know what
it says in 2 Peter 2, verse 7, now listen. before God would destroy that
place, what did he do first? Say, somebody's got to come out.
Somebody's got to be rescued. And he delivered just lot. Vexed with the filthy conversation
of the wicked, for that righteous man dwelling among them and seeing
and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their
unlawful deeds. Now listen, Listen to this. If I listen, the Lord knoweth
how to deliver the godly out of temptation. And to reserve the unjust to
the day of judgment. One day, this old flesh will
drop off and we will be delivered from this old body of sin. What
a day. What a day. We have been saved, we are being
saved, and our salvation is nearer than we first believed. Brother
Hawker said, have God and Christ been faithful to every generation
of his people? And shall he not prove so to
us? Child of God, take courage. Our wonderful Redeemer is coming
back to take his children home. And he will deliver us out of
the hands of this wicked world. If you're lost, you need to be
delivered. There is only one that can deliver.
He said, look unto me and be ye saved. All the ends of the
earth. You cannot deliver yourself.
You cannot rescue yourself, but he can and he does.