As is often the case when I listen
to John teach his lesson, I think, well, he and I are on the same
wavelength this morning. Our thoughts seem to be running
in the same direction, and I hope that is of the Lord. In our reading
from Luke chapter 9 earlier, we read that when the voice was
passed, the voice of God, that Jesus was found alone. Again, in Matthew's account,
when the disciples lifted up their eyes, they saw no man save
Jesus only. I hope that God will be pleased
to allow us to do that today. John made reference in his lesson
to the prayer of Elisha on the behalf of his servant when he
said, Lord, open his eyes, open his eyes that he may see. And when he did, when the servant's
eyes were opened, he saw things as they really are, an army surrounding
him and Elijah. Delilah gave me a copy of the
song that Bobby just sang for us. A part of it says, there
is a hope that lifts my weary head. That's the first verse
of this song that we're going to read in a minute. There's
a hope that lifts my weary head, a consolation strong against
despair, that when the world has plunged me in its deepest
pit, I find the Savior there. There is a hope that stands the
test of time, that lifts my eyes beyond the beckoning grave, to
see the matchless beauty of a day divine when I behold his face. We often read David in the Psalms
crying out Lord, I've sinned against you. I've sinned against
you. Lord, I was envious at the wicked
man. I was foolish, so foolish. I was as a beast before you.
And I think we can all identify with that. But in this Psalm,
David says, I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills. He's on
the right track now, isn't he? May God enable us to direct our
eyes with David in the same blessed direction. I will lift up mine
eyes into the hills from whence cometh my help. My help cometh
from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer. He won't allow thy foot to be
moved. He that keepeth thee will not
slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel
shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper. The Lord
is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee
by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thee
from all evil. He shall preserve thy soul. The
Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this
time forth and even forevermore. The title of my message is Look
Up, Look Up. With David, let us ask our God
to enable us this day, this hour, to look up. Look away from ourselves. Look away from ourselves. That
can only serve to discourage us. Look away from what's around
us in this world. That, again, will offer little
hope. But lift up your eyes, and by faith you see Christ. You see Christ, the mighty God. That's how Isaiah saw him. In
the year that King Uzziah died, Isaiah said, I saw also the Lord. And he lives forever. Where was
he, Isaiah? He was high and lifted up. Oh, with David let us lift up
our eyes and see our great God and king, exalted above all. Our help comes from him. He who
is in the heavens doing, not trying to do, not wanting to
do, not hoping to do, but doing whatsoever he hath pleased. Look at verse 4, David says,
Behold, behold, stop, pause, consider, slow down, behold,
he that keepeth Israel, the true children of God, all those saved
by grace, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber, nor sleep. Well, if my great God and Savior
neither slumbers nor sleep, there's no need for me to stay awake
too and pace and walk the floor, is there? I read the story the
other evening about a lady who went before a king in Scotland
many, many years ago. She had been robbed. She had
been robbed. And the king asked her, well,
when did this happen? When were you robbed? And she
said, while I was sleeping. While I was asleep. And the king
asked her, why did you sleep? And she said, because I thought
you were awake. I thought you were awake. He
that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. You remember
that time when Jacob, out of fear for his life, fled from
his father's home. And he came to a place where
he laid down to sleep. with heaven as his canopy and
the rocks as his pillow. And he had a dream. He saw a
ladder extending from heaven down to the earth and angels
descending and ascending on that ladder. And God spoke to him
and said, behold, I am with you and I will keep you in all places
where you go. Jacob, you'll never be in a place. You'll never experience a circumstance
where I won't be with you. And he set up that place and
called it Ebenezer. Hitherto had the Lord brought
me. One hymn writer put it this way.
Be gone unbelief, my savior is near. And for my relief will
surely appear. By prayer let me wrestle and
he will perform. With Christ in the vessel, I
smile at the storm. I wished I could. With Christ
in the vessel, I smile at the storm. His love in times past
forbids me to think he'll leave me at last in trouble to sink.
Each sweet Ebenezer I have in review confirms his good pleasure
that helped me quite through. Is that not so? Is that not so? Each sweet Ebenezer, each experience,
each past experience of his grace is just a confirmation of proof
that he will see me through. As old Newton put it, his grace
brought me safe thus far. Is there any other explanation? Can there be any other reason
why you sat here this morning? Why you haven't, like the multitude
in our religious generation, turned your back and walked away
seeking other things, seeking a novelty, seeking entertainment? Oh, will you also go away? And
the reason being, He'll never leave me nor forsake me. His
grace has brought us safe thus far. and it's proven sufficient
grace, and reigning grace, and abounding grace, and that grace
that descends to us from the throne of grace upon which the
Lord Jesus Christ who is full of grace and truth sits, reigning
gloriously, that same sufficient reigning grace will lead me home. All the way. All the way my Savior
leads me. Thomas Manton. was a Puritan
back in the 1600s. And one time he was invited to
preach before some dignitaries. And he peppered his message with
Latin and Greek to impress his listeners. But unbeknownst to
him, a poor farmer had slipped in that morning. And after the
message was over, he made his way through the crowd and tugged
on the sleeve Mr. Manton, and he said, Sir, there
was nothing in it for me. Nothing in it for me. You preach
to these learned men, these dignitaries. I came in hungry. I come in here
needing to hear about my Redeemer. And though your message was full
of things I didn't understand, Latin, Greek, and so forth, there
was nothing there for me. As I prepared this message and
prayed that God would be pleased to bless it, I thought of each
of you that would probably be here today. I had your faces
in my mind. And I thought of some of you
and things you've shared with me, some of your trials and difficulties,
some of your burdens. And I thought to myself, Larry,
if you were sitting this morning where they are, If the role was
reversed, so to speak, and you were sitting down there, if you
were in their shoes, what would you want to hear? What would
you want to hear? After another week in this God-rejecting
world, after another week of that struggle, and there's never
a truce in that struggle that Paul describes in Romans 7. He'd
been a preacher of the gospel for many years when he wrote
that. He'd been an apostle for many years. He had been caught
up to third heaven, he said, and he saw things that weren't
lawful for him to try to relate to anybody else. They wouldn't
understand it. He didn't understand much of
it himself. And even after that great experience, Paul said,
I am a wretched man. He writes under the inspiration
of God's Holy Spirit. He says, even while I do this,
O wretched man that I am, there is another man in me. Roaring after the flesh, roaring
after that of the Spirit, dragging me down always. And there's never
a truce. There's never a flag lifted and
say, let's pronounce a truce, let's come to some agreement.
It will never happen. And under that struggle, the
apostle cries out, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver
me? And thank God there was an answer.
Often we hear that quoted and we stop there, but Paul answered
this question, who shall deliver me? He said, I think I thank
God through the Lord Jesus Christ. And even after that confession
of that sin, yet abiding in him, that downgrading, dragging down
principle, yet in the very same breath, he says, there is therefore
now no condemnation. What I just said is true, but
still there's no condemnation. How can it be, Paul? You've confessed,
you've admitted to your own sinfulness, your own depraved heart, that
struggle within you. You've already confessed to it.
How can you say there's no condemnation? Because there's no condemnation
to them who are in Christ Jesus. Moose Parks, many years ago,
I think 97 or 98, wrote a hymn. And he expressed it like this.
I said a moment ago, if I were sitting where you are this morning,
what would I want to hear? What would help me? What would
encourage me? What would be a blessing to me?
Moose wrote, Tell us not of self-salvation through an act of man's free
will. It will bring no consolation, having heard we're hungry still.
That's not good news. Oh, please don't tell me God's
done all he can and the rest is up to me. That won't encourage
me. That won't help me. That'll just
add to my distress. Oh, we long to see the glory
of our God in Jesus' face. Tell us now that blessed story
of his free and sovereign grace. Louis, can you hear that too
much? Can you hear that too much? Can you be reminded too often
that salvation is of the Lord? Can you hear too often or too
much? Do you get tired of hearing that
the great shepherd of the sheep in whose hands we have been committed
by God the Father shall not fail? Can you be reminded of that too
often? Tell us of the one in heaven
who before the world began Purpose that his grace be given to a
race of fallen men. Tell us of predestination, how
that God upon his throne made a sovereign free election of
the souls he calls his own. Concerning the Lord Jesus Christ,
God the Father said, thou art my first elect, God said, and
then chose us in Christ our head. Oh, what a blessed, blessed privilege
that is. Tell us of the Christ, Lord Jesus. who has died for God's elect,
his blood ransoms and releases them from sin and its effect.
Every one for whom he suffered, every one for whom he suffered
shall be saved and justified, and at last they shall be ushered
into heaven to be his bride. Oh, tell us about that. I need some comfort. John, I
need some real hope. I don't live in a glass house.
I don't live a shielded life. All there's much I'm not exposed
to is you that still work out into this world. But still, I'm
the same as you, made out of the same thing, just a man. Every
man in his best state is still altogether vanity. And I need
real hope. Tell me who keeps me. Tell me
who keeps me. Tell me who's responsible for
my eternal salvation. Tell me who'll get the job done. Look at verse 5, the Lord. The
Lord God Almighty. The Lord high and lifted up.
The Lord that has his way in the whirlwind and the clouds
are but the dust of his feet. The Lord exalted above all. The
Lord is my keeper. Tell me who's responsible for
my everlasting salvation. Who's responsible? You remember
when you were children at home? I dare say you never went to
bed at night, weary, troubled, wondering, I
wonder if there'll be anything to eat in the morning. I wonder
if there'll be food on the table. You never had thoughts like that.
Why? That was mom and dad's responsibility. They would take care of that
and you would just, as the expression goes, roll over and sleep like
a baby. You never had doubts and fears
of that nature because you knew they were responsible and they
would take care of you. And that's exactly what David
says here. Who's responsible for my everlasting
salvation? Verse 6. The Lord shall not smite
thee by day nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thee
from all evil. He will preserve thy soul. Tell me again about that great
shepherd of the sheep. Left him up again before me,
the great shepherd who shall not fail. That one who said,
I came to seek and to save. When he had sought and saved
at Zacchaeus, he said, the day of salvation come to this house
because the Son of Man has come to seek and to try. No, he come to seek and to save. In that parable of the great
shepherd, he said he went out in search of his sheep, and he
searched until he found it. And when he found it, he picked
him up. And when he picked him up, he brought him All the way
home. All the way home. Oh, tell me
not of self-salvation, but tell me of my blessed shepherd who
shall not fail. Tell me again. Remind me again
of what he's promised. Turn, if you will, to John's
Gospel, Chapter 6. I could quote these, I think,
just about, but let's read them together. And you could, too.
You're very familiar with them. Oh, but listen to the sweet words
from the lips of him who spake like never a man spake. the Lord
Jesus Christ, our advocate with the Father, the good and faithful
shepherd of the sheep. He says in verse 37 of John chapter
6, all that the Father giveth me, most of those the Father
gave me, oh no, oh no, all that the Father giveth me shall come
to me. And they just come. They're drawn to Him by God the
Holy Spirit. Every one of them shall be taught
of God. Everyone that's learned of me,
he said, comes to the Father. Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona. God's taught you something. He's
taught you who I am. He's opened your eyes to behold
who I really am. All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me. And him that cometh to me No
matter how weak, no matter how sinful, no matter how feeble,
no matter how unfaithful, Him that cometh to me, I'll in no
wise cast out. I'll never turn Him loose. I'll
never reject Him, and I'll never cast Him out. He'll continue
by grace to come to me. For I came down from heaven,
not to do my own will, but the will of Him that sent me. And
this is the Father's will which has sent me, that of all of which
he had given me, I should lose nothing. A multitude that no
man can number and not one lost. The great shepherd brings them
all to the father's house. They'll all be ushered into his
own presence. They'll all behold the king and
his beauty. They'll all be brought all the
way home, but should raise it up again at the last day. And
this is the will of him that sent me. that everyone, everyone
which seeth the Son, and believeth on him may have everlasting life.
And I will raise him up at the last day." Turn over a few pages
to John, or rather, chapter 10. John chapter 10. Some folks came around and said,
if you're really the Christ, why don't you just tell us plainly?
Verse 25, I told you and you believed not. The works that
I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. But you believe
not, because you're not my sheep, as I said unto you. Now my sheep,
now that's a different story altogether. My sheep are not
like you. My sheep hear my voice. And I
know them. I know them. The same sheep that
the Father gave me before we ever created the heavens and
the earth. I know them. I come for them. They're always
in my heart and in my hand and in my mind. I know them and they
follow me and I give them eternal life and they shall never perish. Oh, but that one that wrote the
psalm we just read this morning as our text, he'll sin grievously
against you. Oh, but he'll never perish. The
time will come when all those, your disciples, will forsake
you and leave you alone. You'll be left alone. But they'll
never perish. Peter? Peter will deny that he
even knows you. Yeah, but he'll never perish.
Larry Criss will time and time again prove unfaithful, unloving,
ungrateful. But the great shepherd says,
Yes, yes. But he'll never perish. He'll
never perish. Neither shall any man pluck them
out of my hand. My Father which gave them me
is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of
my Father's hand. Oh, that is good news. That's good to hear. That's comforting
to my troubled heart, to hear that he that hath begun a good
work in you will perform it will carry it on until the day of
Jesus Christ, to be able to say with Paul, I know whom I have
believed, and I'm persuaded. I have every reason to believe
and to be persuaded of it, to be convinced of it. I have no
reason not to think so, that he shall keep that which I've
committed unto him against that day. Tell me the old, old story
of Jesus and his love, and that nothing shall separate me from
the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. I need to hear that again. Mr. Spurgeon was invited to preach
at his grandfather's church one time. Their grandfather just
sat a few feet behind him. And as Spurgeon preached every
now and then, his grandfather would tug on his coattail and
say, Charles, tell them that again. Tell them that again,
Charles. They need to hear that again. And so it is. I need to hear
it again. I need to hear salvation is of
the Lord. I need to hear when the storms
of life are raging, when the bottom falls out. I need to hear
that he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. I need to hear that salvation,
all of it, is his doing. It's not my work, it's his work. Peter in his second epistle said,
I'm writing things to you that you know. But he says, I think
it is proper, it's me, that as long as I'm in this tabernacle,
as long as I'm yet alive, I should keep you in remembrance. I should
stir you up by reminding you of these blessed things. I need
reminded that when I'm weak, he's strong. When I'm hurting,
He's touched with my hurting. One hymn writer put it like this.
He knows, speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ, he knows, let this
my comfort be. He knows the path designed for
me, a healing balm for all my woes. Oh, blessed thought, my
Savior knows. The thorns that pierce my weary
feet, the lowering clouds, the storms that beat, And then with
bliss of calm repose, O blessed thought, my Savior knows. My
Savior knows. He knows. He knows. Nobody else might know, but He
knows. Nobody else can identify, but
He can. Nobody else can feel your hurt,
oh, but He's touched with it. He hurt in the same way. He knows
that this suffice for me. He knows the end I cannot see.
Then let my anxious heart be still, and patient wait my Savior's
will. My prayer for strength to Him
is known, though breathed in secret and alone, the weary heart
the tear that flows. O blessed thought, my Savior
knows, my Savior knows, I have to confess, as David did, I've
sinned, I've sinned. And when I've sinned, I need
to hear that I have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ
the righteous, that I'm still a child of the King. There's nothing that can separate
me, even myself, from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus.
I need to hear that He's still my righteousness. And I'm still
found in him. I'm still accepted in to be loved. Do you confess at times as I
do? Man, I'm so fickle. So unstable. Everything around me seems to
be changing. The hymn writer said, change
and decay all around I see. We look in the mirror and we'd
like to think, well, Just holding my own. Still got it. Oh, no, no, no.
Change and decay all around I see. Oh, but that one, that one that
I need the most, that one that I cannot possibly do without,
he changes not. Listen to this. I am the Lord.
I change not. I was sometimes laid in bed and
sleep just wouldn't come. It just wouldn't come. And with
a broken heart, I've cried out, Lord, I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do. But
Jesus knows what he will do. The worried heart, the tears
that flow, oh, blessed thought, my Savior knows. Lord, I've confessed,
I'm afraid. I'm afraid. And with gentle whispering,
he says, it is I. You don't need to be afraid.
You don't need to be afraid. It is I who loved you from all
eternity. I who left my father's glory,
the glory that I had with the father, I came for you. I lived for you. And I died for
you. Don't be afraid. Turn, if you
will, to Isaiah chapter 43. Isaiah chapter 43, or listen
while I read it. Our God says, but now, Isaiah
43 and 1, but now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O
Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, fear not, fear not,
for I have redeemed you. I've redeemed you. Redeemed you
with my own precious blood. You belong to me. You've been
bought. You're purchased. You're not your own. Don't be
afraid. Nobody's going to take you. Nothing's going to separate
you from me. I've called you by name. Thou
art mine. When thou passest through the
waters, I will be with you. And through the rivers, they
shall not overflow thee. When thou walkest through the
fire, thou shall not be burned. Neither shall the flame kindle
upon thee. Remember when Nebuchadnezzar
commanded that the three young Hebrew boys, young men, be cast
into the fiery furnace. He heated it seven times more
than it was usually heated. And he cast Meshach and Shadrach
and Abednego into that fiery furnace. We read in verse 24
of Daniel chapter 3, then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded and rose
up in haste and spake and said unto his counselors, did not
we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered
and said unto the king, true, O king. He answered and said,
lo, I see four men loose. I see four men loose walking
in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt. When thou
passest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned. And they
have no hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of
God. I see another. O Lord, open his
eyes that he may see. When they lifted up their eyes,
they saw no man but Jesus only. I will lift up my eyes into the
hills, for whence cometh my help. I see another. O look up and
see one greater than yourself. greater than your circumstance.
Lift up your eyes and see that one who can speak to the storm. Who can speak to the storm. Peace
be still. And that fast, that fast the
waves lay down at his command. And there was a great calm. Oh, when the storms of life are
raging, stand by me. Stand by me. When the storms
of life are raging, stand by me. When this world is tossing
me like a ship upon the sea, O thou who rulest wind and water,
stand by me. If a child of God should ever
perish, what would that mean? What would that mean? If one
child of God should ever fall away, be lost, what would that
mean? That would mean that God has
changed. God changed. That would mean
that Christ failed. That would mean that Satan triumphed. Never. Never. Never. Let's take a peek at how our
journey ends. Turn if you will to Revelation
chapter 1. Revelation chapter 1. I think
I've shared with you Don in his commentary on Revelation. Christ in Revelation told the
story of a janitor who was sitting in a gym one night waiting for
the men, local businessmen who were using the gym. He was waiting
for them to get done so he could lock up, sweep up, and go home.
And he sat over in the corner reading his Bible. And one of
the businessmen came over, and sort of in a smart, elegy way,
said, what are you reading? You understand what you're reading?
He said, I'm reading Revelation, the janitor said. You understand
it? And the janitor said, yes. Jesus wins. Jesus wins. We're victorious through him
that loved us and gave himself for us. In verse 1 of chapter
1 of Revelation. The revelation of Jesus Christ
which God gave unto him to show unto his servants which must,
I like that, which must shortly come to pass. Must shortly come
to pass. Yes, Jesus wins. There are some
must be things. Must be for God's glory. must
be for Christ to see and to develop his soul and be satisfied. Look in chapter 4. Again John's
told, and he's shown why these things must be. After this, verse
1, after this I looked and behold a door was opened in heaven And
the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking
with me which said, come up hither and I will show these things
which must be hereafter. These are must be things. No
question about it. Certain things, sure things.
And immediately I was in the spirit and behold, a throne was
set in heaven and one sat on the throne. One sat on the throne. He saideth above the flood, He
saideth King forever. Lift up your eyes. He who sat
upon the throne made these glorious proclamations. Turn over to chapter
21 here in Revelation, chapter 21. He who sat upon the throne said,
Behold, I make all things new. There's a better day coming,
child of God. And I saw a new heaven and a
new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth were passed
away, and there was no more sea. And I, John, saw the holy city,
New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven as a bride
adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out
of heaven saying, behold, the tabernacle of God is with men,
and he will dwell with them. And they shall be his people,
and God himself shall be with them and be their God. And God
shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. And there shall be
no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there
be any more pain, for the former things are passed away. And he
that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write where
these words are true and faithful. New heavens and a new earth. No more death. That'll be new. That'll be new. No more sorrow. Never a reason to be sorry for.
That'll be new. No more crying. There'll be no
reason to cry in heaven. That'll be new. No more pain. Nothing ever to be sorry for. Nothing ever to make us cry.
But the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne shall lead us unto
living fountains of waters. And this is one of those things
that must be. Chapter 22. Here's one of those
glorious, perhaps the most glorious, of those must-be things. Verse
4. And they shall see His face. They shall see His face. Child of God, look up. Look up. Our King is coming. As John taught this morning,
we're children of the king. When I was a young boy, and I
would sometimes be caught out after dark, not get home before
dark, and I'd be walking home. Man, I was scared. I was scared. And I only had one thought, John,
I want to get home. I want to get home. I can't wait
to get home. Home. I'd be safe. I'd be secure. Home is my refuge. And the Lord God himself says,
I am thy refuge. In Isaiah chapter 32, and a man
shall be as a hiding place. Who could that be talking of
other than the Lord Jesus Christ, the God-man? And a man shall
be as a hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest. as rivers of water in a dry place,
as the shadow of a rock in a weary land. Elijah Hoffman visited
a poor, grieving widow one time, who was going through great difficulty,
with tears just streaming down her face. She said, brother,
what can I do? What can I do? He said, there's only one thing
you can do. You must tell Jesus. What else can you do? And he
left her house and all the way home, those words just kept ringing
in his ears. I must tell Jesus. I must tell
him. And when he got home, he wrote
that down. God, help us to do the same thing. I must tell Jesus all of my trials. I cannot bear these burdens alone.
In my distress, he kindly will help me. He ever loves and cares
for his own. I must tell Jesus. I must tell
Jesus. I cannot bear these burdens alone.
I must tell Jesus. I must tell Jesus. Jesus can
help me, and Jesus alone. I will lift up mine eyes unto
the hills from which cometh my help, my help coming from the
Lord, who made heaven and earth. I must tell Jesus. Let me close by sharing one more
hymn with you. Though the clouds are seen ascending,
soon the heavens are overcast, and the weary heart is bending
neath the affliction stormy blast. Yet the Lord on high presiding
rules the storm with powerful hand. He the shower of grace
is guiding to the dry and barren land. See at length the clouds
are breaking, Tempest hath not passed in vain, for the soul
revived, awakened, bears its fruits and flowers again. Love
divine has seen and counted every tear it caused to fall, and the
storm which love appointed was its choice's gift of all. Our light affliction, which is
but for a moment, works for us, works for us a far more exceeding
and eternal way to glory. God bless you.