You probably know that Betty
Burge has been in the hospital this past week. She's not doing
well, and David is taking care of her as well as a man can take
care of his wife, and we've got to pray for them as God enables
you. So you remember them in prayer. And you had such good
preaching the last two weeks, whether Aaron just did an outstanding
job, both messages, I was greatly helped by them. You should let
me know when they're here in my stead how much you appreciate
their labors in preaching of the gospel. All right, back in
Isaiah chapter 37. Isaiah 37. We're often given great contrast
in scripture about many things. The kings of Israel and of Judah
were often contrasting personalities. And what a tremendous contrast
there is between Hezekiah, that godly king, and his father Ahaz,
the ungodly reprobate that he was. Hezekiah was a man of faith. His father Ahaz was a man of
compromise. Hezekiah was a man of prayer.
Ahaz was a man of presumption. Hezekiah sought the glory of
God. Ahaz provoked God to anger. Hezekiah honored God and honoring
God, he was honored by God. Ahaz sought his own honor and
died and was buried in dishonor. In the time of trouble, Ahaz
connived with Tiglath's pleaser and became an accomplice with
the Assyrians. because of his unbelief, his
cowardice, his compromise. Because of Ahaz's unbelief, his
cowardice, his compromise, the northern kingdom was forever
destroyed and Samaria was carried away into captivity and slavery. It was not so with Hezekiah.
In time of trouble, Hezekiah believed God. He refused to compromise. He went to the house of God in
sackcloth covered with ashes and spread his case before the
Lord. In response to his prayer of faith, the Lord God delivered
his people from their time of trouble and destroyed their enemies. When Sennacherib and the Assyrian
army surrounded Jerusalem and threatened to destroy it, Hezekiah
the king sent a message to Isaiah the prophet saying, this day
is a day of trouble. This day is a day of trouble. Without question, those words
describe the day in which we live. We live in an apostate
generation of idolatry, exactly as the Apostle Paul described
for us in 2 Timothy chapter three. A day when men are turned to
fables away from the truth of God. Apostate religion, that
is the religion that exalts and magnifies and honors man. And the religion of this day
is religion that exalts and magnifies and honors man. It is the religion
of Antichrist. It sets man in the house of God
and worships man as though he were God. That's exactly how
Antichrist is described in 2 Thessalonians 2. Man is set up in the house
of God and that which belongs to God is ascribed to man. So the salvation by the will
of God is ascribed to the will of man. Salvation by the work
of God is ascribed to the works of man. Holiness by the doing
of God is holiness ascribed to the doings of man. Man is honored,
man is exalted, man is worshiped. That's the problem with Arminian
freewill works religion. It is the religion that worships
man. And wherever man worships himself,
lewdness Ungodliness, decadence, moral corruption is sure to follow. We live in a generation of religious
people who think nothing of the most ungodly practices the world
has ever imagined. Think nothing of it. Things that
were not even spoken of in public when I was a boy. Just when I
was a boy. today are commonly practiced
and accepted and even promoted amongst religious people in churches. Not only is this a day of trouble
in that sense, but God's people, while they live in this world,
live in a day of trouble, personal trouble, trials, temptations. assaults from the world, the
flesh, and the devil, their own ungodliness, day of trouble. This is a day of trouble. What
do we do in the day of trouble? Where can we find help? How can
we glorify God? How can we honor him in the day
of trouble? I would urge you to read again
carefully these 38 verses of Isaiah chapter 37. These things
were written for our learning that we through patience and
comfort of the scriptures might have trope. We have hope in the
time of trouble because of that which God has written in his
word and causes us to believe. We have hope and comfort in the
day of trouble because of that which God has written in his
word and causes us to believe. This chapter shows us that God's
people are the apple of his eye, always under his care, always
under his protection, always provided for by his hand. And
he will both deliver us from all our troubles and from all
our enemies whom he will destroy. He will deliver us and He will
destroy our enemies by the blood of Christ, through blood atonement,
by the sacrifice of His own Son, by whom He has destroyed every
claim of the law against us, having fulfilled the law, having
satisfied the law, having put away our sins. He comes in time
by the power of His grace and destroys Satan in us, giving
us life and faith in Jesus Christ our Lord, making us new creatures
by His grace. and he does it by the work of
his providence. God in his providence defends his people. God in his
providence cares for his people. God in his providence overturns
all who oppose his people. God in his providence destroys
the enemies of his people, all of them, all of them. He overturns
them and destroys them. In fact, God in his providence
uses our enemies as instruments in His hands to do us good and
nothing but good. He uses those who oppose us to
do us good and nothing but good. When the Lord God is done, with
all things that he's purposed from eternity, even Satan and
all the evil he has wrought in humanity on the earth in God's
creation shall prove to have been for the good of God's people
and the glory of God's name. We worship him who is God alone. But what do we do then in the
day of trouble? Let me give you some lessons.
First, in the time of trouble, like Hezekiah, we should worship
the Lord our God. In the day of trouble, don't
neglect the worship of God. Don't neglect the house of God.
I can't tell you how many times in 50 years pastoring, I've spoken
to someone who began to absent themselves from the house of
God. They were going through difficulty. And it's him I just,
which I just couldn't call. I just, I just, I just, just
didn't feel like being there. They neglect the very thing.
that they ought to seize upon. Neglect the one thing by which
they can be helped. Neglect the one place where they
can find comfort. Neglect the one group of people
who can benefit them. Then neglect the house and worship
and people of God. In the day of trouble, come broken
like Hezekiah, as he was humbled by his circumstances. Broken
with a heavy heart and a needy heart, Hezekiah went to the house
of the Lord. So should we. We would be wise
to follow his example. The fact is, you will not find
help for your soul. You will not find help for your
heart. You will not find help for you,
real help, anywhere except in the house of God in the day of
trouble. Nowhere else, nowhere else. When
Ahaz was in trouble, he sought to deliver himself from trouble
by his own cunning and his conniving and his craftiness. When Hezekiah
was in trouble, he went to the house of God and sought the Lord
God. He worshiped God with a heavy,
heavy heart. Look at verses one and two. It came to pass when Hezekiah
heard it. He heard Rabshakeh, Sennacherib's
representative. He heard the blasphemy. He heard
the things he threatened. He heard the bloating of that
man. He ran his clothes and he covered
himself with sackcloth. And he went into the house of
the Lord. And he sent Eliakim, who was over that household,
and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priest, covered
with sackcloth, sent them to Isaiah the prophet, the son of
Amos. Hezekiah took his troubles to
God. Don't take things in your hands.
Don't try to handle things yourself. Leave things in God's hands.
Cast your care on him. He cares for you. He cares for
you. He cares for you. Oh, how he
cares for you. So cast your care on him. Though
Hezekiah was in trouble, his concern was not so much for himself
as it was for the glory of God and the people of God. Oh, God,
make me such a man. Make my concern be not for me,
but for you, my God, and your people. Verse three. They said
unto him, thus saith Hezekiah. Hezekiah comes to Isaiah and
his prophets. They say to the prophet, this
day is a day of trouble. and of rebuke and of blasphemy. For the children are come to
birth and there is no strength to bring forth." That is, we're
faced now with this heathen king, this persecutor, this Assyrian
monarch who's destroyed everything around him and he's come to destroy
us. We had no power against him.
Lord God, I'm in trouble. And I can't do anything about
it. I'm in trouble and I can't help myself. I'm in trouble and
no one around me can help me. Lord, God, behold, your servant,
I'm in trouble. Your church, your kingdom's in
trouble. Read on. It may be the Lord thy God will
hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria, his
master, has sent to reproach the living God. and will prove
the words which the Lord thy God hath heard. Wherefore lift
up thy prayer for the remnant that is left, for God's elect,
for his chosen. So the servants of the king Hezekiah
came to Isaiah. This king sends his servants
to the prophet seeking a word from God. seeking the glory of
God, seeking the welfare of God's people, his remnant. And God
met Hezekiah with a word of grace in the place of worship. Look
at verse six. And Isaiah said unto them, thus shall you say
to your master, thus saith the Lord, be not afraid of the words
that thou hast heard, wherewith the servants of the king of Assyria
have blasphemed me. Behold, I will send a blast upon
him, and he shall hear a rumor. He'll hear something, this mighty
king, he'll hear something. Can you imagine? He'll hear a
rumor. He'll hear a rumor. This king who's destroyed nations
around him, this king who makes the world tremble, he'll hear
a rumor. And when he does, he'll return
to his own land. and I'll cause him to fall by the sword in his
own land. I'll kill him. I'll kill him
at home. I'll kill him with his own sword. Here's an encouragement
to faith. Be not afraid. Hear me, children of God, you
who are gods. Hear me, church of God. Hear
me, kingdom of God. Your battle, whatever it is,
your battle for God's glory, Your battle for God's interest,
your battle in God's cause, your battle for God's honor is not
yours, it's the Lord's. He fights the battle, he wins
the battle. If I'm God's child, if I'm his
servant, if his cause is my cause, the battle is the Lord's. That
means I have nothing to fear. My foes, it matters not who they
are, are just hot wind. Nothing more. No matter who they
are, no matter what power they appear to have, they're just
hot wind, nothing else. The words of men are just words. Satan's assaults are without
power before our great savior. You'd mean to say, pastor, you're
saying Satan has no power? None at all. Our Savior said,
all power in heaven and in earth is mine. Nobody else has any. What power Satan appears to have
is power he gives to Satan, none else. Here's a promise of deliverance. Behold, I will send a blast upon
him. Verse seven, he shall hear a
rumor and return to his land. I'll cause him to fall by the
sword in his own land. Our God promises the God of peace
shall brew Satan under your heels shortly. In the day of trouble,
seek a word from God. Worship God in his house. Go
to the house of God like Hezekiah did, asking God to speak by his
prophet to you, to give you a word from God by his servant. to give
a word which will minister to your need, to your own heart,
a word for you personally, to encourage, to reprove, to expose
your sin, to rebuke, and to strengthen you. Cast your care upon the
Lord your God. He's your God and Savior. He
is the Lord. He's the ruler. He's the monarch
of the universe. Cast your care on Him. He cares
for you. Oh, how reasonable it is that
we should cast our care upon Him who cares for us. He gave
His Son for you. He cares for you. He chose you. He loves you with an everlasting
love. He redeemed you with the blood of His own Son. He cares
for you. Cast your care on Him. You remember
Judges 13, when Noah's wife came and gave a report of how the
angel of the Lord had appeared to her. And Manoah said to his
wife, said, we've seen God face to face. God will kill us. God will kill us. And his wife
reasoned more reasonably than Manoah. She said, surely if the
Lord had meant to kill us, he wouldn't have done all this for
us. Surely, if he had meant to kill us, he would have been so
gracious to us. If he had meant to kill us, he
wouldn't have revealed himself to us. If he had meant to kill
us, he wouldn't have made himself known in the sacrifice. Surely
that's not the case. When Hezekiah saw the word from
God, he found it. So will you. All right, here's
the second lesson. True faith must and will be tried. proved. True faith must and will be tried
and proved. Let's look at a few things. Turn
over to the book of James, James chapter 1, James chapter 1. When the Lord God comes to try
our faith, it is not to prove it to him, but rather to prove
it to ourselves, to make us know that we do indeed believe God. James 1, verse 1. James, the
servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the 12 tribes
which are scattered abroad, greeting. My brethren, count it all joy
when you fall into divers temptations. The word is trials. Knowing this,
that the trying of your faith worketh patience. The proving
of your faith worketh patience. Count it a blessing when trials
come. By the trial, God teaches you
patience. Verse 12. Blessed is the man
that endureth temptation, that endures trial. For when he is
tried, when he is proved, he shall receive the crown of life
which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. Back in
Romans chapter 5. Romans chapter 5. Paul speaks
of our free justification in Christ. Therefore being justified
by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein
we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. We stand
here in the grace of God in God's salvation rejoicing in hope of
the glory of God. Verse 3. Not only so, but with
glory in tribulations also. Knowing that tribulation worketh
patience, and patience experience, and experience hope. We speak
of Job's patience. If you want the patience of Job,
you have to go through the trials of Job. And the trial works patience. and patience experience. And
experience works hope. Oh, what reason we have of hope
by the experience we've had of God's grace. And hope maketh
not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our
hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. Let's look
at two more passages here. Second Corinthians chapter four.
Second Corinthians four. Verse 17, Our light affliction,
which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and
eternal weight of glory. What a statement! What a statement! Our light affliction, which is
but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal
weight of glory. The trial of your faith is more
precious of gold that perisheth. Though it be tried by fire, it
might be found under praise and honor and glory at the appearing
of Jesus Christ. What on earth are Paul and Peter
telling us? These troubles these trials,
these heartaches we experience in this world, in this body of
flesh, are light compared with everything we've
received from God's hand. Light compared with all that
we expect in heavenly glory. And these light afflictions make
heavenly glory far greater than it would otherwise be. They work
for us, these featherweight trials, work weights of glory. Work weights of glory, and they
shall be found to praise and honor at the appearing of our
Redeemer. Hezekiah, back here in Isaiah
37, had the promise of God, just as we do. Deliverance was sure. God who cannot lie told him plainly
he would destroy Sennacherib. And yet the first thing Hezekiah
met with when he came out of the house of the Lord was Rabshakeh,
Sennacherib's blaspheming ambassador, verse 8. So Rabshakeh returned
and found the king of Assyria warring against Libna and he
had heard that he was departed from Lachish. And he heard say
concerning Terheka, king of Ethiopia, he has come forth to make war
with thee. And when he heard it, he sent
messengers to Hezekiah saying, thus shall you speak to Hezekiah,
king of Judah. Saying, let not thy God in whom
thou trustest deceive thee. Saying, Jerusalem shall not be
given into the hand of king of Assyria. Behold, thou hast heard. What the kings of Assyria have
done to all the lands by destroying them utterly. And shalt thou
be delivered? Their gods couldn't save them.
You think your God can save you? Have the gods of the nations
delivered them, which my fathers have destroyed, as Golzan, and
Haran, and Rizif, and the children of Eden, and which were in Tileser? Where is the king of Hamath,
and the king of Arthad, and the king of the city of Seraphim,
Hena, and Iva? Where are those kingdoms now? What did their god do for them?
You think your god's gonna do any better for you? The vision
we're told in Hebrews is for an appointed time, but at the
end it shall speak and not lie. Though it tarry,
wait for it, because it will surely come and will not tarry. Wait for God to fulfill his word. Hezekiah got this word from Isaiah,
said God's gonna destroy. He steps up, first thing he meets
with is this blasphemous king and his representative. Well,
hang on, hang on. Wait to see what God does. Children
of God, don't expect God to fulfill his promises immediately. He rarely does. He teaches us to wait on him.
But every promise of God is sure. Satan says, look around you.
Look at these nations. Look at these troubles. Look
at your weakness. Look at yourself. How do you
expect to stand against me? The Lord God says, look unto
me. Oh God, teach me, while walking
across this stormy sea, to look not at the storm, nor at the
sea, and certainly not at me, but to look to Christ my Redeemer,
and I shall walk across this sea. Third, verses 14 through
20 have a lesson about prayer. Prayer is the cry of a needy
heart to God, the God of all grace. It is the cry of a needy
heart to God, seeking the glory of God and the will of God, believing
the word of God. That's worth remembering. Prayer. Prayer is the cry of a needy
heart before the throne of grace seeking
the glory of God and the will of God believing the word of
God look at verse 14 Hezekiah received the letter from the
hand of the messengers and read it and Hezekiah went up to the
house of the Lord and spread it before the Lord he said Lord this This right here, this is
what that blaspheming king wrote about you. This is what he said
about you. He's talking about Hezekiah.
I'm his. That means he said it about you.
He's talking about the people of Israel. They're gods. That
means he's speaking this against you. He spread his case before
the Lord. Hezekiah prayed, saying, Lord,
O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, that dwelleth between the cherubims,
thou art the God, even thou alone of all the kingdoms of the earth.
Thou hast made heaven and earth. Incline thine ear, O Lord, and
hear. Open thine eyes, O Lord, and see, and hear all the words
of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. Verse 20. Now therefore, O Lord
our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the
earth may know that thou art the Lord, even thou only. The knowledge of God's purpose
is no hindrance to prayer, but rather an encouragement to it.
Hezekiah knew what God had promised. It was given to him plainly.
And knowing God's purpose, he was not trying to get God to
change his mind. He was asking God to do what he said he would
do. We believe in divine predestination, absolute security of God's purpose.
And knowing God's good purpose is not a hindrance to prayer,
but a handmaid to prayer. Look at his prayer. Knowing what
God had promised, Hezekiah came to God by faith in Christ. Trusting
God who dwelleth between the cherubims. Why did he use that
statement? God, you alone are God, who dwelleth
between the cherubims, the cherubims at each end of the mercy seat,
where blood atonement was accepted. He comes to God, trusting Christ,
the sacrifice, trusting his shed blood. He spread his calls before
the Lord and prays the name of God. He said, you alone are God. And then he asked God to do what
he promised he would do. He said, save us, save us. Do as thou hast said. He offered
an argument that God can't refuse. He said, do this, Lord, that
all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the Lord,
even thou only. Oh, God, make that my motive.
and I shall have what I want. Make that my motive and I will
have what I will. That all the kingdoms of the
earth may know that Jehovah alone is God. Everything else is but
the work of men's hands. All true prayer is a work of
faith just like this. It is based upon the word of
God, upon the promise of God given in his word. It is offered
through the merits of Christ, our mediator. It is inspired
and caused by the grace and power of God, the Holy Ghost. In the
day of trouble, child of God, spread your trouble before God
in prayer. Take it to the Lord in prayer. Read Hezekiah's prayer carefully
and learn how to pray. He simply told God what his trouble
was, praised God for his greatness and goodness, and asked God to
do what he promised so that everybody would know that he's God. That's how our Lord taught us
to praise him. Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy
name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be
done. Here's the fourth thing. You
can't separate the church of Christ from Christ himself. You
can't separate God from his people. We are his body, the fullness
of him that filleth all in all. And the Lord Jesus Christ rules
this world for his church. Turn to Revelation 19. I can't
tell you how sweet, how delightful, how precious This portion of
scripture has been to me the last several months, especially.
Verse six. I heard, as it were, the voice
of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and
as the voice of mighty thundering, saying, Alleluia, for the Lord
God omnipotent reigneth. A month or two ago, Brother Joseph
Murphy, down in New Caney, Texas, sent me a sermon from an old
gospel magazine article. I don't know who wrote the sermon.
Don't know who wrote the article relating to the sermon. He just
sent it to me. The text was Revelation 19, 6.
Hallelujah! For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. That means we ought to be glad
and rejoice and give honor to him. Verse seven, let us be glad
and rejoice and give honor to him. God reigns. God reigns. No matter what the
folks in Frankfurt do, God reigns. No matter what the folks in Washington
do, God reigns. No matter what your neighbor
does, God reigns. no matter what the folks in Rome
do, God reigns. God, our savior, he whose hands
were nailed to the cursed tree, hold the reins of the universe
and he reigns for our good and his glory. Let us be glad and
rejoice. He who rules the universe counts
our enemies, his enemies, our friends, his friends, and counts
anything done to us as being done to him. Hear God's word
concerning Sennacherib. Isaiah 37, 21. Then Isaiah the
son of Amos sent to Hezekiah saying, thus saith the Lord God
of Israel, whereas thou has prayed to me against Sennacherib, the
king of Assyria. This is the word which the Lord
has spoken concerning him. The virgin of the daughter of
Zion, what a word! The virgin of the daughter of
Zion hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn. The daughter
of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee. He speaks of this
in the past, though it had not yet come to pass. We read of
it in Revelation 17, 18, and 19. The children of God, the
Church of God, the Bride of Christ, laugh as Babylon falls and rejoice
at Babylon's destruction. But it hadn't happened yet. Isaiah
speaks for God. And God speaks to his servant
and says, the virgin daughter of Zion has despised Rabshakeh
and Sennacherib and the Assyrians. She's left you to scorn. You
huff and puff and snort and carry on like you've got mighty power.
She laughs in your face. The daughter of Jerusalem shakes
her head at day. God's elect are described by
him as pure chaste virgins. Christ has made us such. So they're
described in Revelation 14. Our father will never allow his
chaste virgin daughters to be raped by Satan. And when all
things are done, we shall laugh at all Satan's devices and all
our foes. Look at verse 23. Whom hast thou
reproached and blasphemed? And against whom hast thou exalted
thy voice and lifted up thine eyes on high? Not against Hezekiah,
not against Jerusalem, not against Judah, but against the Holy One
of Israel. By thy servants hast thou reproached
the Lord and said, By the multitude of my chariots, I come up to
the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon, and
I will cut down the tall cedars thereof, and the choice fir trees
thereof, and I will enter into the height of his border, and
the forest of Carmel. I have digged and drunk water,
and with the sole of my feet, had dried up all the rivers of
the besieged places. That's how the enemy speaks,
and now God speaks. Hast thou not heard long ago
how I have done it, and the ancient of times that I have formed it?
Now have I brought it to pass, that thou shouldst be to lay
waste defense cities into ruinous heaps. God says, you think you're mighty
and you're powerful and you've done this. God says, I'm the
one who raised you up. I sent you here to put my people
in trouble, to cause my people to turn to me and you are but
an instrument in my hands. He says in verse 29, therefore
will I put my hook in thy nose and my bridle in thy lip. What
a picture, what a picture. You're gonna do what? Here, put
my hook in your nose. You'll follow me. By the way
you came in, by that way I'll lead you out. I'll put my bridle
in your mouth. By the way I rode you in, I will
ride you out. I will turn thee back by the
way by which thou camest. This is God's word concerning
his people. Verse 30. And this shall be a sign unto
thee, ye shall eat this year my people, my chosen, such as
groweth of itself. And the second year, that which
springeth of the same. And in the third year, sow ye,
and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruit thereof. And
the rind that is escaped to the house of Judah shall again take
root downward and bear fruit upward. for out of Jerusalem
shall go forth a remnant. And they that escape out of the
Mount Zion, the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. God will perform miracles to
sustain his people. He will cause the fields that
they could not sow to raise up crops for them. Three years they'll
feast by that hand of God alone. Therefore thus saith the Lord
God, concerning the king of Assyria. He shall not come into this city.
He shall not shoot an arrow there. He shall not come before it with
shields. He shall not cast a bank against it. He's just gonna stand
outside the walls and bluster. By the way that he came, by the
same shall he return. He shall not come into this city,
saith the Lord, for I will defend this city to save it. God counted
Sennacherib's reproach and rage against Hezekiah and Judah to
be against himself. The people Sennacherib opposed
were the objects of God's special care, a people he was determined
to bless. These few, this remnant that
escaped out of the city of Judah were a type, a picture of that
remnant according to the election of grace, God's own. the few
chosen of God, the few redeemed by the precious blood of Christ,
the little flock of his choice, the few who enter into the straight
gate and are saved by the grace of God. By the blood of Christ
and the power of grace, they escape the justice of God's wrath. They escape the curse of God's
law. They escape the wrath to come,
the second death, eternal damnation in hell. All this work of God
in providence and grace springs from his everlasting love for
his covenant people. The surety ship engagements of
Christ on our behalf and his performance of all things as
our surety. These chosen ones, God's elect,
his remnant, shall return to him and be firmly settled. They shall live peaceably and
prosperously. Abandoning with all good things,
taking root downward in the everlasting love and grace of God, and upward
bearing fruit to God by His Spirit. Sennacherib, the great enemy
of Judah, had no power to do anything except what God gave
him power to do. He could only do that which God,
I started to say permitted him to do. That's not strong enough
language. That which God directed him to
do. God doesn't permit things to happen. God purposed that
which happens. And God performs that which happens
by his own hand according to his own decree. Read the book
of Job, first two chapters. Satan came to give a report to
God. Why do you reckon he came? Because
he's God's devil. He came with the sons of God
to give a report as the rest of the angels of God. And the
Lord God spoke to Satan. Satan's standing before him and
he says to Satan, have you considered my servant Job? There's none
like him in all the earth. He's a perfect man, one who fears
God and excuses evil. God's the one who brought up
the issue, not Satan. God's the one who brought up Job, not Satan.
And Satan said, well, you've got a fence around him. God said,
all right, this is what you can do to Job. And Satan went and
did it. Satan said, ah, now Job will
curse you to your face. And he comes back to give a report
again. He said, have you considered my servant Job? All the while,
all the while God ruling, all the while God in control. He
said, all right, this is what you can do to Job, but you can't
harm him. You can't hurt him. And when
you get done, he will be doubly blessed in all things. Hear me. Hear me. Oh, my soul,
hear me. Hear me, my friends. Satan, the
reprobate, the godless, the foes of our souls in this world, can
do nothing but that which God has ordained for us, for our
good. Nothing. No evil shall happen
to the just. these things that we are currently
going through. Folks think, well, this is God's
judgment. Some years ago, when I had cancer,
I was preaching at Hillcrest Baptist Church in Western Salem
in a Bible conference. Our home church, Brother Moose Parks and
Father Ernest was pastor. And there were some preachers
who had gotten together when I was in West Virginia praying
for God's judgment on me. And I was enabled to preach that
night from 1 John 3 on adoption. And the ringleader of the preachers
walked out, as she walked out, she said, I heard that the Lord
had judged him. Oh no, no, no, no, no, no. Those
things that men think they will do to harm, God uses only to
bless. Those things that men think are
for our destruction are only for our good. Those things we
foolishly imagine, Mark. Those things we foolishly imagine,
did you hear me? Those things we foolishly imagine
are against us, are God working for us. Here comes Rabshakeh,
Sennacherib's representative, and he huffs and puffs and blows
at the walls of Jerusalem. And God says to Hezekiah, watch
him blow. I'll soon turn him aside. He
can do nothing. Now learn this last lesson, learn
it well. The judgment of God is sure. Judgment is always an
act of retribution on God's part. God says in verses 28 and 29,
this is what I'm going to do to Sennacherib, because of thy
rage against me. The judgment that I bring is
judgment you bring upon yourself. The judgment that I bring will
be done with ease. I'll put my hook in your nose.
It's accomplished exactly in God's time. Look at verse 36. Then the angel of the Lord went
forth and smote the camp of the Assyrians in four score and 5,000.
And when they arose early in the morning, behold, They were all dead corpses. So
Sennacherib, king of Assyria, departed. And he went and returned
and dwelt at Nineveh, his home idolatrous palace. And it came
to pass, as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch, his
god, picture now, here he is bowing down to himself, that
Adramelech, And Charizard, his sons, came in while he's worshiping
himself and smote him with the sword. And they escaped into
the land of Armenia and Esarhaddon, his son, reigned in his stead. What became of Sennacherib, the
blasphemous king who shook his fist in God's face and dared
to come up against God's people in the rage of his persecution?
The eye of the Lord followed him back to his palace in Nineveh.
The finger of God pointed at him every step of the way. God
had his finger on him. Right into the house of Nisroch
is God. And he sent his two sons in with
a sword to destroy him. The wheels of justice grind slow,
but they grind to powder. God will slay his enemies and
he will protect his own. So the message of Hezekiah to
you and to me is this. Be not afraid in time of trouble,
but worship God. Believe God. Seek the Lord. Trust his providential care and
wait for his deliverance. Wait for his deliverance. I wait
on the Lord. I wait on the Lord. With expectation,
with expectation, wait for God to work. We have seen God do so much,
haven't we? We've seen God do so much. Oh, Spirit of God, teach us to
wait with expectation to see what God will do tomorrow. Wait
on the Lord. They that wait on the Lord shall
renew their strength. They shall mount up with the
wings as eagles. Thou shalt run and not be weary. Thou shalt
walk and not faint. Teach me, Lord, to wait. Amen.