Well, I think everybody will
agree that following the EU referendum on Thursday and the surprise
result of it, we live in a time of great uncertainty, great uncertainty. That's the mood. If you listen
to the news programs, you will get this sense of uncertainty
and dismay in some quarters and delight and rejoicing in others.
I think it's fair to say that Christians predominantly, though
not exclusively, voted to leave the European Union. I think that's
the case. But, you know, we mustn't judge
in either direction people voted in a democratic vote according
to their own personal conscience and their own personal understanding
of the situation but when we come to the gospel let's not
forget let's not forget this is so important the purpose of
the gospel is not to reform this fallen world that's not what
it's about Some preach and witness as if their purpose in witnessing
the gospel is to make this world a better place. And then we'll
all live, you know, if only everybody was Christians, wouldn't we all
live so well together? And would it be a nice, peaceful
place? That is not the purpose of God. What is God's purpose?
What did he teach his disciples to pray? thy kingdom come. That's it. Not the kingdoms of
this world come, thy kingdom come, his kingdom, his glorious
kingdom of peace and righteousness, thy kingdom come. Whichever way
you voted, and I make absolutely no judgment whatsoever either
way, whichever way you voted, neither rejoice nor despair at
the referendum result. Those that very much wanted the
vote to be the way it did, to come out, please don't get too
excited. it's it's in the hands of fallen
politicians isn't it as far as world politics is concerned have
they ever ever been able to do anything good in the past what
makes you so sure that now a group of fallen men and women are going
to make things an awful lot better no no don't rejoice and don't
despair at the referendum result because if you're a believer
this is what to rejoice in All things work together for good
to those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. If you're a believer, look what
Hannah rejoiced in. Hannah prayed, verse 1 of chapter
2, 1 Samuel chapter 2, verse 1, Hannah prayed and said, My
heart rejoices in the Lord. My horn, my power, is exalted
in the Lord. My mouth is enlarged over my
enemies. Why? Because I rejoice in thy
salvation. If you're a believer, rejoice,
not in which way the referendum result went, but rejoice in the
Lord's salvation. Rejoicing in God's salvation,
that's the title of my message. Hannah knew these things over
3,000 years ago. This is recorded, what she prayed
over 3,000 years ago. And it's the same today for all
of God's saints. We should rejoice in that. Whatever
else happens, rejoice in the salvation of the Lord. Let me
just remind you of the background to Hannah's prayer so that you're
not listening to this out of its context. You'll remember,
if you can, that in 1 Samuel chapter 1 we read of this man
Elkanah and he had two wives, I'm not saying why, we don't
know, we're not told why he had two wives, we know it was never
the purpose of God that a man should have two wives, but he
had two wives, one called, what was her name, Penina wasn't it,
or Penia or something like that, and Hannah was the other one,
and in those days the currency which was so powerful for a woman
who was a wife was to have children, and the more the merrier in those
days that was that was the way it was the more the merrier.
And Penina she had children and Hannah had none Hannah had no
children and It was a cause of great consternation
between them. You know, Penina used to go,
yaboo at Hannah, you haven't got any children, look at all
of my children, I'm so much of a better wife. But Elkanah, it
says, particularly loved Hannah. and Hannah and Elkanah and the
whole family they went up to Jerusalem as was the way all
the men in Israel had to go up to Jerusalem three times a year
to the feast and they went up to this particular feast and
while they were there Hannah prayed she prayed to the Lord
if you will give me a son I will give him back to you if you will
give me a son and Eli the priest thought she was drunk she was
stood there with her lips moving and no sound coming out he thought
she was drunk and she said I'm not drunk I'm praying for this
gift and so Eli says well God grant you your petition that
you've asked of him and they go away and of course a year
later she's had the baby Samuel God granted her petition and
she had Samuel her son and she weaned him and that probably
means about 12 years that doesn't mean she was breastfeeding him
for 12 years but you know she brought him to an age where he
could go and be left on his own and The time comes that she takes
him up to the temple, and she gives him to the Lord. She gives
him to the service of the Lord, this young boy, to be the Lord's
servant, and he becomes the Lord's prophet, as we know, and the
books of 1st and 2nd Samuel are written by him, and the record
of the things that happened in his days. She gave him to the
Lord. She lent him to the Lord there,
and he worshipped the Lord there, it says. And then we have this
prayer recorded of Hannah. This prayer which really struck
me as I was thinking about the result and the events of this
referendum. It wasn't the result actually.
Do you know I prepared this message on Thursday and on Thursday I
was pretty much convinced that the result was going to be as
it was but the other way around. I was pretty much convinced it
was going to be 52 for staying and 48 for leaving. and that
staying was going to win. I was pretty much, when I prepared
this message, but you know, the same message applies. Either
way round, the same message applies. This passage seems so relevant
to days like this in which we're living. She prayed, she's just
had this son. that is so important to her.
It's such an answer to prayer. Wouldn't you have thought she
would have gone there and said, oh thank you so much, thank you
so much for giving me the son that I prayed for. Wouldn't you
have thought that? No she didn't. Do you know what she did? She
rejoiced in the Lord's salvation. I rejoice in thy salvation. What does she tell us in this
prayer? It's recorded, 3,000 years old, must be at least. It tells us about God's uniqueness.
Let's think about these things, and we'll keep coming back to
the context of where we are historically and politically and as it affects
us as believers. God's uniqueness. God is unique. I know that's stating the obvious,
but God is unique. True rejoicing arises from an
understanding of how different God is from everything else we
know and experience. He's holy. He's holy. Look, verse two, there is none
holy as the Lord, for there is none beside thee, neither is
there any rock like our God. The utter uniqueness of God. True rejoicing arises from an
understanding of God's holiness. Holiness. Those who think they
can breeze glibly into the presence of God, confidently into the
presence of God, without any thought of the holiness of the
being to whom they come have not understood the first thing. True rejoicing only comes when
you know who it is that you're dealing with. You might say understanding the
holiness of God would only put fear into the heart of a sinner.
And yes, that's very true, but until you have some notion of
God's holiness, you can have no notion of how sinful we are
as creatures. And until we have some notion
of how sinful we are, we cannot see the need for a savior. What
did Jesus say? He said, I didn't come to save
the righteous, I didn't come to say them. They think they're
righteous. But it's the sick I came to say. Those who know
that they're sick with sin. No. We truly rejoice in salvation
when we get some appreciation of God's holiness. God says this
to us, Psalm 50 verse 21, and this is what most people think.
He says to us, you thought that I was altogether such an one
as yourself. That's what we think, don't we?
We think that God is like us. I know we're made in the image
of God, but don't think that God is like us, because he isn't.
He's altogether different. Isaiah 55, verses 8 and 9, this
is what God says, My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither
are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens
are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your
ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Do you know if you're
going to have any knowledge? Do you know what the starting
place is? Where do you start to get any
knowledge about the things of eternity, the things of God?
The Word of God tells us in Proverbs, do you know where? The fear of
the Lord. The fear of the Lord is the beginning
of wisdom. The fear of the Lord is the beginning
of knowledge. If you would know anything truly
about eternity and the things of God, then start here. Where? In the dust. Bowed before the
throne of God. Learn that He is sovereign over
all things. God is sovereign. God rules in
the affairs of men. God is sovereign over all things. Things do not just happen. Everything is worked out by him.
He rules in the affairs of men. Echo the words of the psalmist.
We see people all around that are looking to political systems
to give them salvation, to make society, oh now that we're out
of the EU we'll have a much better, more righteous nation and we'll
be responsible for our own affairs and we won't have any of these
evil laws that have been brought in. Don't you believe a word
of it. None of it's going to change. None of it's going to
change. trust in chariots and some in horses says the Psalmist,
Psalm 20 verse 7 some trust in chariots and some in horses,
what does he mean by that? the political systems, the weapons
of this world, the things that people rely on to give them power
and strength but we will remember the name of the Lord our God
what is it to remember the name of the Lord our God? in the Bible
names mean They have meaning. They're not just labels that
you attach to somebody or something. They have meaning. The name of
the Lord is all the characteristics of the Lord. His sovereignty,
His mercy, His grace, His holiness, His justice. We will remember
the name of the Lord. We won't trust in the chariots
and horses of this world. We won't trust in the political
systems, whether it be in the EU or out of the EU. We will
remember the name of the Lord our God. Now, verse 1. Begin to rejoice in the Lord.
My heart rejoices in the Lord. Mine horn is exalted in the Lord. Not in the things of this world.
My mouth is enlarged over mine enemies. Why? What's your reasoning,
Hannah? because I rejoice in thy salvation. I rejoice in the Lord. I see
where true power, the horn, lies even in this world. The world
huffs and it puffs and it does its political things and it turns
things on its head and it thinks it's making such a difference.
But listen what the Word of God says. Isaiah 40 verse 22. It is He, it is God that sitteth
upon the circle of the earth and the inhabitants thereof are
as grasshoppers. It's God that sits on the circle
of the earth. Doesn't that speak of supreme
power and dominion and control and the strongest of the inhabitants
of the earth are just like little grasshoppers. You know we're
not frightened of grasshoppers are we? We hear them chirping
away in the grass on a hot summer's day and jumping around it's lovely
to see them but they're of no threat to us, they've got no
strength as far as we're concerned, they're nothing to us. God sits
upon the circle of the earth and the inhabitants thereof are
as grasshoppers. As another psalm tells us, Psalm
37 verse 1, because we're so inclined to be anxious about
the things of the world, but Psalm 37 verse 1 says, fret not
thyself because of evildoers. Don't be alarmed. don't be alarmed
at whatever happens, whichever way you hope things might go
because in comparison to God look how impotent man is, look
how impotent the political systems of this world are, look at verse
three talk no more so exceeding proudly let not arrogancy come
out of your mouth for the Lord is a God of knowledge and by
him actions are weighed don't be arrogant don't be proud don't
be puffed up in your own estimation God knows all things he sees
all things he weighs and he judges all things, verse four the bows
and arrows, the bows of the mighty men are broken their strongest
weapons, their most effective weapons are broken and they that
stumbled those that fell down in fear are girded with strength
they that were full have hired out themselves for bread and
that they that were hungry have ceased how proud is man but yet
how feeble is man both sides of this recent referendum campaign
have been absolutely convinced or at least they've given the
impression when they're talking to the media convinced that their
vision is the only one that will deliver prosperity. We've heard
it, haven't we? For weeks and weeks and weeks.
The one side saying utterly confidently, if you vote the way I want you
to vote, things will be powerful and peaceful and strong and prosperous
and everything will be good. And the other side saying exactly
the same thing, if you vote their way. You know? Who's right and
who's wrong? You might have your opinions,
I might have mine. But you know, it's not true. They have not
got the ability to bring any of this about. Whatever develops
in the aftermath of this, we'll see the one side accusing the
other of gross error. If it becomes wonderful, then
the people that said we need to get out will say, we told
you so, everything we said has come true. And if it turns out
to be bad, economically, by some measure, they'll say, the ones
that said we should have stayed in will say, we told you so,
we told you we should have stayed in. You see, whatever develops,
one will accuse the other of gross error, but none can truly
know anything. None can guarantee success. None
is able to control world events. You know that all of our politicians
constantly, we saw it when we were looking in the book of Revelation,
They strive for utopia. They constantly demonstrate utter
impotence to bring it about, don't they? Vote for us! Do you
remember 1997, Tony Blair's incoming government? Things can only get
better. They were singing all night long,
weren't they? And here we are, nearly 20 years later, and we
look back and we think, no they weren't. Quite frankly, they
didn't make a scrap of difference apart from getting us into an
awful lot more debt. No. How many put their trust
in the chariots and the horses of politicians, only to find
them broken down, the wheels have come off, the horses are
lame. But God's people remember the name of the Lord our God. Because God turns man's schemings,
man's plans on their head. Verse five, they that were full,
they had plenty, They've hired themselves out for bread. They're
begging bread. They that were hungry ceased. They're no longer hungry. The
barren, the one without children, has now got seven children. And
she that hath many children is waxed feeble. You see the Lord
turns things on their head. The Lord kills and makes alive. He brings down to the grave and
brings up. The Lord makes poor and makes
rich. He brings low and lifts up. He
raises the poor out of the dust and lifts the beggar from the
dunghill to set them among princes. God turns things completely upside
down. Jesus said, in the Sermon on
the Mount, I think it was, which of you, by taking thought, can
add one cubit to his stature? And you have to admit, that's
absolutely right. We can't. We are what we are.
We're in the hands of the living God. God is sovereign. Lord,
teach us to understand this. Whatever we think should be the
right condition for us, cause us to realize that we're ultimately
at the mercy of God's sovereignty. We really do need to learn that.
whether that be in matters of finance. Yes, in all things be
diligent, be diligent to take care of your families, be diligent
to be careful with your money, don't be wasteful, don't be profligate,
don't be prodigal with the things that you've got, the substance
of this world. No, take care, but you're not
sovereign over them. Just do that which is right and
proper, but in matters of finance God is sovereign. In matters
of career, God is sovereign. In matters of health, health,
your health, my health, God is sovereign. In matters of life
and death, God is sovereign. Even in matters of the death
of a close and dear family member, God is sovereign. I'll just mention
this, many of you will remember a dear friend, Gary Shepherd,
and his wife Betty, who used to come to this country regularly. in January to tour around and
get items of British novelty items for their shop in North
Carolina. And he was a good preacher, well
I say was, still is a good preacher of the gospel. He lost his dear
wife, Betty died last Tuesday, you know the man is heartbroken.
But God is sovereign in all of these things. God is sovereign. God is sovereign. Yes, we must
all bow to God. We must all bow to God. But there
is comfort only in his salvation. That's where the comfort is.
The comfort is in his salvation. My heart... What do you think
Gary is thinking now? he's lost his life partner he's
lost his dear wife and you know those of us that knew him knew
the bond that was between them he's lost her but he knows this
she's in the presence of the living God now he knows this
that she's out of the pain and the suffering of that illness
that took her life away from her he knows this that he and
her in glory are rejoicing in the salvation of the Lord. Yes,
we must all bow to God but there's comfort only in his salvation. Think of Hannah, as I said at
the start, shouldn't her prayer, wouldn't you have thought her
prayer would be one of thanks that she now has a son? She didn't
have a child and now she has a son, Samuel. Oh Lord, thank
you so much for giving me Samuel. Well yes, of course she's glad
about that, but what really matters What overrides everything that
happens in this life? What overrides everything, whether
it be in or out of the European Union? What really matters? Is
it not salvation? God's salvation. My heart rejoices
in the Lord. My horn is exalted in the Lord.
My mouth is enlarged over mine enemies, because I rejoice in
thy salvation. Verse 8, let's look at it. God's
salvation. He raises up the poor out of
the dust. He lifts up the beggar from the
dunghill to set them among princes and to make them inherit the
throne of glory. For the pillars of the earth
are the Lord's, and he has set the world upon them. He will
keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent
in darkness, for by strength shall no man prevail." How holy
must you be to be justified in judgment. You know when it comes
to the judgment seat of Christ, to the end of all things, how
holy must you be? What's the standard against which
you will be measured? Is it not the holy character
of God? The holiness of God? To be judged
justified before God, you must be as holy as God. For as Leviticus
11.44 says, ye shall be holy, he's talking to his people, ye
shall be holy, for I am holy. Hebrews 12.14, follow holiness,
pursue after it, without which no man shall see the Lord. Would
you see the Lord in eternal glory? Is that your aspiration? You
must be holy. Follow holiness, without which
no man shall see the Lord. But the question is, where do
we get that required holiness from? only and completely, only
and completely, to the uttermost, in the salvation that God has
accomplished in Christ. Look at verse 7. The Lord maketh
poor. The Lord makes poor. Jesus said
in the Sermon on the Mount, blessed are the poor in spirit. What
a blessed thing it is to be made poor by God. To be made poor
in terms of self-worth and self-righteousness, to be made poverty-stricken in
terms of self-worth and self-righteousness, so that with the hymn writer
we can say, when I come to God, nothing in my hand I bring. Oh, well, I've done this thing
and that thing. No, nothing in my hand I bring. I'm stripped
naked before the just and holy gaze of God. He it is that brings
low. Those whom he loves he brings
low. Psalm 116 verse 61 I was brought
low and he helped me. Oh that the Lord would bring
us low to see our true state Has God shown you that you have
absolutely none of the currency of eternity in and of yourself?
Whatever you are, however good you might be at what you do,
you have none of the currency of eternity. You're poverty-stricken.
I'm poverty-stricken. I'm unable to pay. I cannot redeem
myself. I can't pay the price of my justification. Never mind justify anybody else,
as Psalm 49 says. Nobody has the currency to redeem
his brother. It's too costly. It's impossible
forever. Our rightful place is in the
dust. He puts us in the dust. He puts the poor in the dust.
But, verse 8, he raises the poor from the dust. He raises the
beggar. Begging for what? Begging for
mercy. He raises the beggar from the dunghill of his own filthy
works of self-righteousness. And he sets them among princes. Is this not as he does, as he
did with Jacob? Jacob, who is the cheat, who
is the swindler, who is the deceiver, and he lifts him and makes him
Israel. And Israel is a prince with God. God makes sinners. God makes
deceivers. into princes with God. Joint
heirs with Christ. That's what Romans 8 17 tells
us. As believers we're joint heirs with Christ. And look at
this phrase here at the end of verse 8. For the pillars of the
earth are the Lord's and he has set the world upon them. what's
that talking about? Remember this is Hannah's prayer
three thousand years ago the pillars of the earth are the
Lord's and he has set the world upon them well no doubt it's
got multiple meanings but I think it certainly means this pillars
of the earth do you know where you read that? in the New Testament
the church is called the pillar and ground of the truth the pillar
and ground of the truth and God has set the world upon it. The
created world we see and inhabit, whatever its political systems
are doing, it is but God's canvas on which he paints the artwork
of gracious salvation. Have you got that? that's what
this is telling us that's what it's telling us the created world
we see and inhabit with all of its comings and goings and its
political happenings and its political changes and all of
these things it's God's canvas, you know the artist paints his
picture on a canvas this is God's canvas and what's his painting?
gracious salvation it's all there to support that when it's complete
When his artwork of gracious salvation is finally complete,
when Christ comes again, the background will be rolled up.
Is that not exactly what the book of Revelation told us? It
will be rolled up. The scaffolding will be taken
down. Only the temple made without
hands will remain. That's what the final vision
of the New Jerusalem was. That huge great cube, wasn't
it? Speaking of the holy of holies
in the temple, it's all going to be that holy of holies, that's
what the heaven of God is going to be. Because this canvas is
going to be rolled up. Don't look for salvation in the
political events either positive or negative of this world. No,
rejoice in the Lord's salvation. How has God lifted the beggar
from the dunghill to the glorious throne? How has he done it? He's
done it by propitiation. He's turned away just anger. He's turned away the offense
of sin. He's made satisfaction to the
offended law. And what has made satisfaction
to the offended law of God? Nothing but the blood of Christ.
nothing, nothing has done it but the blood of Christ as of
a lamb without blemish and without spot the law demands one of two
things it either demands perfection do this and you shall live or
it demands death the soul that sins it shall die the law does
not demand both it either demands perfection in which case you
live or it demands death in the case of imperfection. How has
it made us right with God in the gospel of God's grace? Christ
was made sin, was made the sin of his people. And the sin of
his people was judged and paid for in him. And the soul that
sins, it shall die, was born entirely by him for his people. Why? That we, his people, for
whom he died, might be made the righteousness of God in him. Righteousness for anyone does
not come by law works. Righteousness does not even come
by Christ's law works. Be clear about that. When Christ
lived perfectly before the law of God, it is not that that makes
us righteous because as Galatians 2.21 says, If that were the case,
Christ has died in vain. But it is by the blood of his
cross. How does he make peace? By the blood of his cross. You
find me a reference that says anything else. It's by the blood
of his cross that he makes peace. Is this not what makes the saints
rejoice? It's this permanence, this certainty
of the salvation that Christ has accomplished, when he cried,
it is finished, everything was done, there is nothing in the
world of politics where you can finally say it is finished, that's
it sorted, that's the answer, there will never be any of this
anymore, there will never be any of that, we fixed it for
good forever, never, ever, ever, it's only in the death of Christ,
it is finished. It isn't the hap of life, the
things that happen. Votes one way, votes another
way. Economics this way, economics that way. Those things in themselves
don't alter anything. But they're all things that work
together for good to those who love God. It's not the barren
or the fertile womb in the case of Hannah. No, not that. It's not the long healthy life
or the sudden terminal illness. It's not the riches of this life
or the periods of poverty, the losses of this life. What really
matters is salvation. The only riches that really matter
are eternal riches, heavenly riches. And the certainty that
omnipotent God, all-powerful God, what does it say in verse
nine? He will keep the feet of his
saints. God will keep the feet of his
saints. Take your bulletins, read the
article, it was one of the daily readings from J.C. Philpott.
God will keep the feet of his saints. Is that your experience? Do you rejoice in the Lord's
salvation? Outside of it, is only certain
judgment. Look at verse 10. The adversaries
of the Lord shall be broken to pieces. Out of heaven shall he
thunder upon them. The Lord shall judge the ends
of the earth, and he shall give strength unto his king. Who is
his king? Christ is his king. And exalt the horn, the power
of his anointed, of Christ himself. Outside of that salvation of
God is only certain judgment. Divine justice will be satisfied
either by Christ's vicarious death for his people or by the
eternal death of the sinner. One or the other. One or the
other. You're either in Christ or you're outside of Christ and
without hope. So what do we conclude? When
we see such political turmoil and uncertainty, don't fret. Don't be anxious. All things
are in God's control. All things are working His eternal
purposes of gracious redemption for His people. All things are
working towards the judgment of all sin and rebellion and
bringing in His unrivaled kingdom of peace and righteousness. I
rejoice in thy salvation. Amen.