in Luke chapter 12. Our Lord speaks those verses
that we read. In those verses, he's speaking
to his disciples. Now, in verse 1 of the chapter,
we're told, in the meantime, when they were gathered together
an innumerable multitude of people in so much that they trod one
upon the other. There was a great multitude,
a mixed multitude. And one of these, obviously,
at least one, there were of course many more. But he makes known
where his heart was. In verse 13, one of these Men in the crowd said in verse
13, one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother
that he divide the inheritance with me. And you see our Lord's
answer to him, man, who made me a judge or a divider over
you? And then he spoke about them
being aware, beware of covetous and spoke about the rich fool who God required his
soul of in verse 20. I point that out because so many
people today use God's word like it's some sort of rabbit's foot. that they can just pull out any
time they want. They consider it to just be a
lucky charm. Well, our Lord here speaks to
his disciples beginning at verse 21 and shows plainly the difference
between the children of the world and the children of the Father.
Everybody is not a child of God. This Word is to His own. This
is the children's bread. God is not, what I've heard used,
the universal Father of all men. No, no, no. He's the creator
of all men. He's the judge of all men, but
he's not the father of all men. He's only the father of those
who are his children, those who have embraced his son, those
that have bowed to him. He's only the father of his true
believing sheep. He told the Pharisees on one
occasion, you are of your father, the devil. He certainly wasn't
trying to win friends and influence people, was he? He told the truth. It's the truth that men need
to hear. So remember to whom our Lord
is speaking. And then beginning at verse 12,
he speaks to his disciples. I'm sorry, verse 22. He said
unto his disciples, he turns away from the multitude and says,
listen, Don't let it be like that among you. A man's life
doesn't consist in what he owns, what he can get. That's the world's
attitude. That's an unbeliever's attitude. That's all they have. They don't
know any better. He said, it shouldn't be like
that among you. And remember this, he said, your
heavenly Father knoweth, verse 30, what you have need of. Your
Father knows. your heavenly Father. There are
three things I want to consider in the text, if God enables us
to do so, and our text is verse 32. 32, fear not, little flock. Fear not, little flock. The great shepherd knows his
sheep, does he not? Consider, first of all, who we
are. Then remember who he is. And
then may God enable us to recall who he is as well. Who we are,
who Christ is, who God is. Who are we? Our Lord says, little
flock. You're a little flock." He said,
well, he was speaking that to his disciples at the time. God's
people have always been, in this world, a little flock. The shepherd
knows his sheep. sheep. Just not who they are.
Thank god he knows his sheep. Of course, who they are but he
knows how they are. How we really are lord. Not how
we think we are. Not how we imagine ourselves
to be. Not as we look in the mirror
and think we see how we I've told you before and it's
still true. I'll confess it again. When I
look in the mirror, I don't see a 60-year-old man. That's because
I'm 61 now. I forgot. Oh, how they fly by. That's vanity. Vanity. God knows how, or rather, Christ
knows who we really are. Not what we imagine ourselves
to be, not what we'd like to be, not what we want other people
to perceive us as being, but He knows how we really are. And
He says that Peter and James and John and Andrew and Larry
and Law and Lester and Louis and everyone else here, fear
not, little flock. Now, our Lord did not waste words. Oh, no, when he says, fear not,
there's a reason for it. He knows how prone we are to
fear. As the apostles were, as disciples
of his in every age, he knows how prone we are to be fearful
because of the fewness of our number. He says, little flock,
Fear not because you're a little flock. Oh, but on the other hand,
we have many enemies. The world, self, sin. We have fears because of the
much tribulation that He taught between being called by His grace
and entering glory. We must pass through. And then
we fear because of our own Weakness our own weakness or what can
he give us an answer to all those things? He says simply this fear
not Little flock how often our Lord spoke those words to his
disciples fear not Don't be afraid. Remember that night he came walking
on the sea in the storm and he said, fear not. It is I. It is I. Don't be afraid. This
is not an accident. I sent you on this voyage. I
sent the storm. Don't be afraid. Nothing takes
the great shepherd by surprise. Nothing catches him off guard. And he says, it is I. Things
are not out of control, and we often feel like they are. I mean,
honestly, we do. I do, and you do. And we try
to imagine, well, what's the good in this? I don't see that. I know somehow this is working
for my good, but I don't see how. The promise doesn't say
we see how. It simply says we know because
we believe God. We bow to it whether we understand
it or not. But what a blessing. And what
a comfort it is when He comes walking on the waves. When He
comes through the storm, He'll do whatever is necessary to come
to His sheep. He'll do whatever is required
to come to His sheep. And oh, what comfort! What a
soul-refreshing time it is when He comes and whispers in our
ear, It's I. It's I. Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid. I'm still on
the throne. I'm aware of what you're passing
through. You're still in my hand. I'll never leave you. I'll never
forsake you. Fear not, little flock. But He
gives this one reason to alleviate. Notice He doesn't especially
mention any particular fear. He just simply says, fear not. So I take it by God's grace,
we bring all our concerns and all our fears. We cast all our
cares upon him. And here's the reason that he
gives. Because it is your father's good pleasure to give you the
kingdom. That's it. That's all he says,
Louis. It's your father's good pleasure
to give you the kingdom. Yes, you're a little flock. You're
a little flock, he says. But don't forget, you're my father's
little flock. You're God's little flock. You
remember in 2 Kings, Elisha, who was the understudy, so to
speak, to Elijah. But Elijah goes to glory. And
Elisha is left here to pick up his mantle. And he has a servant
with him. And the king of Syria is doing
war against the king of Jerusalem. But God is revealing all the
king of Syria's plans, his warfare, his tactics to Elisha, and Elisha
is informing the king of Jerusalem. So it's all futile, everything
the king of Syria attempts to do. And the king of Syria gathers
his men around him and said, there's a traitor in the camp.
There's a spy in the camp. And this is how I know. And someone
speaks up and says, oh, it's not so. It's not us. It's that
prophet Elisha. He's telling all your plans.
Well, they go to take him. That is Elisha. Great army. Horses, chariots, warriors. And
Elisha's servant wakes up, and he looks out, and there they
are. They're surrounded. They're surrounded
by the enemy. And he wakes up Elisha. Master,
master, wake up. Wake up. And Elisha said this
to him. Fear not. He said, greater are
those that be with us than they that be with them. You remember
that? And it's only the servant and
his master Elisha. And Elisha said, we've got them
outnumbered. And he prays, Father, God, open
his eyes that he may see. And we're told that the Lord
opened the eyes of the servant and he looked out on the mountains
and there were horses and chariots of fire encircling the enemy. God had sent his angels to the
rescue. And so it is. Greater are they
that be with us than they that be with them. God is greater. His grace is sufficient. His
mercy is from everlasting to everlasting. Turn, if you will,
to Isaiah chapter 44. There are so many places that
we could turn. just in the book of Isaiah. But
we'll just look at one or two. Isaiah chapter 44. Speaking to
his redeemed ones. Isaiah 44 verse 6. 44 and 6. Are you there? It says, Thus
saith the Lord, the King of Israel. The King of Israel. His true
Israel. he that setteth king forever,
he that never vacates his throne, your Father, and his Redeemer,
the Lord of hosts. I am the first and I am the last,
and beside me there is no God. And who as I shall call and shall
declare it, and set it in order for me since I appointed the
ancient people? and the things that are coming
and shall come. Let them show unto them. Fear
ye not, neither be afraid. Have not I told thee from that
time and have declared it? Ye are even my witnesses. Is
there a God beside me? Yea, there is no God. I know
not any." And that's the God that's our Heavenly Father. That's
the God that has redeemed us with the precious blood of His
dear Son. We love free grace. We love to
sing of free grace. We love to preach free grace.
We love to tell others about God's free grace. But it wasn't
free to Him. Oh, no. In order to bestow grace
upon us, it costs the precious blood of His Son. He Himself
gave Himself for His people. Thank God. What it costs, the
precious blood of Christ. At such a price of His redeem,
will He forget us? Will He let us go? We've been
bought. And our Lord says, fear not,
little flock. Your heavenly Father knoweth
what you have need of. It's your father's good pleasure
to give you the kingdom. Look at chapter 46 of Isaiah. Chapter 46. This is one of those verses that
go more precious to me with the passage of time. It says in verse
3 of Isaiah 46, Harken unto me, O house of Jacob. and all the remnant of the house
of Israel, which are born by me from the belly and which are
carried from the womb." From the womb to the tomb. Verse 4,
and even to your old age, I am he. I am he. And even to whore
hairs will I carry you. I have made, and I will bear. Even I will carry, and will deliver
you. or from everlasting to everlasting,
thou art God. So from our calling out of darkness
in time to glory, just as from election to our calling, we'll
be kept by the power of God, by the power of our heavenly
Father. Not a chain or not a link in
that chain of grace will ever be broken. Whom he did foreknow,
he predestinated. Whom He predestinated, He called.
Whom He called, He justified. Whom He justified, He glorified. Every link of that chain of grace
would never be broken. Fear not, little flock. Thank God for His mighty grace. Our Lord says, Your heavenly
Father knoweth. Don't be like the Gentiles. Don't
be like the world, he says. They seek after the things of
the world. They spend all their time concerned
with what they're going to eat, what they're going to drink.
Wherewithal will they be clothed? He said, your Father knows you
have need of all these things, but rather... Verse 31, but rather... But rather, don't be like them. But rather, because grace has
made you to differ. But rather, because since you
aren't what you are except by the grace of God rather, since
Christ said, our elder brother, Behold, I go to tell my brethren,
and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and unto your Father,
and unto my God, and unto your God. He's your heavenly Father,
and my heavenly Father. Now, consider who Christ is. Well, it speaks to the disciples.
He speaks of the heavenly Father knowing, and it being his good
pleasure to give them the kingdom. Oh, but Christ is the one that's
doing the talking. And in Him, every promise is
yea and amen. Not yea and nay. Not yea and
no, but yea and amen. He's doing the talking. And He
knows what He's talking about. He that says it's your Father's
good pleasure to give you the kingdom knows. Literally rendered,
it would read, your Father is well pleased. Your father is
well pleased to do it. The very same words he used that
day at the banks of Jordan when John the Baptist baptized our
Savior, identifying him with his people, his sheep, showing
the picture of salvation and redemption by him. And he comes
up out of the water after being immersed. That's what baptism
is, immersion. and the heavens depart and a
dove descends. And at that moment, as it lights
up on him, God speaks from heaven and says, this is my beloved
son in whom I am well pleased. Same words here. It's your father's
good pleasure to give you the kingdom. He's well pleased to
do so. Our Lord, or rather these words
are spoken by him who was the word in the beginning with God. and was God. That One who made
everything that was made, the express image of His person by
whom God is declared, by whom God alone can be known and revealed. Only by Him were all things created
in heaven and in earth. That's who's doing the talking
here. Things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities
or powers, all things were created by Him and for Him. That is the Lord Jesus. It's
a Him book. H-I-M. It's all about Him. Take Him out, as I've said before,
and what else would you have? What would you have without Him? Nothing. Nothing. Oh, thank God,
it pleased God that in Him should dwell all the fullness of the
Godhead bodily. All things were made by Him and
for Him. All things were created by Him,
the eternal Word of God, and were told by Him. All things
consist. I hear people talk, and these
people claim to be intelligent. Smart folks, doctors, philosophers,
scientists. And they talk like this world
is sort of like one of those children's toys, a top. Is that
what you call it? Remember those? He didn't crank
that thing and just let it go and it spin around until it ran
out of motion, you know, and then it just fall over. They
talk like that's how God created the world. He just cranked it
up and started it and throwed it out there. Now it's all on
its own. Oh, no. No, by Him that created it, the
Lord of glory, by Him all things consist. They're not held together
by Mother Nature or Father Time, but He upholds all things by
the Word of His power. The same power, the same Word,
the very Word of God, the eternal Word that made everything that
is made, that Word that was made flesh and dwelt among us, the
same Word that spoke it into existence is the same Word and
the same power that holds it together. That's exactly right. We're in His hand. Everything
is. He has power over all flesh. And He it is that comes to us
walking on the waves and if need be saying, Fear not. If need be, come over the waves,
the storm, whatever is required, the great shepherd comes to his
sheep and he says, fear not. Whatever he says is so. And he
says, it's your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. God, I've heard the expression,
another religious ditty, God dishonoring, but it says, God
said it. You've heard this. God said it,
I believe it, and that settles it. You've heard that, haven't
you? That's not so. That's not so. God said it and that settles
it. That settles it. Whether I believe
it or not. Now my comfort is derived from
believing it and bowing to it. But the fact of the matter is
it's settled by the God of heaven whether anybody believes it or
not. Him saying makes it so. And God says it is your father's
good pleasure to give you the kingdom. I was somewhere the
other day someplace of business, and there was a poster on the
wall announcing about promise keepers, where they would be
meeting. It may have already been passed.
It's not important, but where they would be having their meeting
this year. Now, if I'm not mistaken, these
promise keepers get together. They do this every year. And
I think it's men. It said men only. They promise they'll be better
husbands and better daddies and better employers and better employees.
And next year they've got to get together and make the same
promise again. Something wrong with that picture, isn't it?
They've got to keep doing it over and over and over again.
The Word of God is not so. The promises of God and our Lord
Jesus Christ are all sure and steadfast. He says forever concerning
His people, your heavenly Father is pleased, takes pleasure in
giving you the kingdom. Wasn't it of Him? that Gabriel
said to Mary before he was ever born, you shall have a son and
call his name Jesus. He shall be great. Great compared to who, Gabriel? Anyone. Everyone. Meaning he
would be great even in his condescension. Was he not already great? Oh
yes, but he would be great as the God-man. He would be great
as God becoming flesh. He would be the great God and
mediator. He would be the great redeemer
and the great savior of his people. He would be that one, that unique
individual. He's in the class all by Himself. All by Himself. Not another like
Him. He's that One who's very God
of very God and never ceased to be God. Never ceased to be
God, did He, Lord? But He became flesh of our flesh
and bone of our bones. Why? Because we were. We were flesh and blood. His
brethren were. He likewise became part of the
same. He shall be great, Gabriel said. What a man, the God-man, the
great God and Savior. And as such, he fulfilled all
God's holy law. He fulfilled all God's holy law. Every John in Tittle, I didn't
come to destroy the law, he said. I come to fulfill it. And he did. From the first breath
he drew, made of a woman, made under the law. And at the end
of his earthly life, he prayed, Father, I finished the work. What was he referring to? He
hadn't gone to the cross yet. I finished the work that you
gave me to do, fulfilling the law as our substitute. And then he goes to Mount Calvary.
And he's made sin. And by being made sin and enduring
the wrath of God, he brings in everlasting righteousness. He
bears our sin away. He enables God to be just and
justify his people. And then again he cries, it is
finished. I fulfilled the law. I finished
the work you gave me to do and now I've obtained eternal redemption. I bore their sins away. I bore
the wrath of the broken law. Father, it is finished. Oh, what
a savior. Yes, behold, a greater than Solomon
is here. Mary, he shall be great. Solomon was wise, a wise man,
wisest man of his day. But Christ is the very wisdom
of God. Solomon was rich. Christ is rich
in grace. Majestic sweetness sets enthroned
upon the Savior's brow. Oh, he speaks words of grace
and mercy and peace. Never a man spake like this man,
hmm? of his said, who does he think
he is? One Pharisee looked over at the
other and said, brother Pharisee, did you hear what he said? Did you hear what he just said?
Did you hear what he just said to that woman? The nerve of that
man. Who does he think he is? Nobody
but God can forgive sins and they were right. And God was
forgiving sins, the God man. He said to that woman, thy sins
which are many are all forgiven thee. Behold, a greater than
Solomon is here. One time, again, in an encounter
with the Pharisees, he said, if you were Abraham's seed, they
often threw this in his face. We don't need you. We have Abraham
for our father. You don't know who your father
is. We have Abraham for our father. And he said, if you were really
children of Abraham, if you were really, Abraham were really your
father, you would rejoice now. You would rejoice to see my day.
Because Abraham saw it and was glad. You know what the word
is for glad? He leaped for joy. In the sacrifice
of Isaac, when his hand was stained, He said, Jehovah Jireh, the Lord
will provide and it shall be seen. He rejoiced and leaped
with joy. You would too, he said, if you
were really children of Abraham. And they said, it went right
over their head. They said, you're not even 50
years old yet and have you seen Abraham? You remember what he
said? Before Abraham was. Before Abraham
was, I am. I am. They said, who do you think
you are? Who do you think you are? Oh,
none greater. Behold, one greater not only
of Solomon and Abraham, but the temple. The temple. Oh, how proud
they were of their temple. and the sacrifices and all that,
and every piece of furniture, and every sacrifice, everything
in that temple was a picture of the shadow of Jesus Christ
himself. And now he who represented all
those things, he who was the fulfillment of every sacrifice
came and they didn't know who it is. And he said, I'll tell
you what, destroy this temple and in three days I'll raise
it up again. And they said, who do you think
you are? And you know, they thought he was talking about the earthly
temple. But he talked about his own body. And in three days,
I'll raise it up again. Crucify Him. We'll not have this
man rule over us. sealed the tomb, Pilate set a
guard in case his disciples steal his body, and then they'll claim
he rose from the dead. Oh, but behold, one greater than
the temple. Three days, three days. In three days, just like he said,
just like he promised his disciples, I will see you again. Right now
you have sorrow. The world will rejoice and you'll
be sorrowful, but your sorrow is going to be turned into joy.
I will see you again. And in three days, exactly as
he promised, he gets up and walks from the tomb because he's the
mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, the mighty
Savior of all his people. And he lives forevermore. John,
I'm he that was dead. Oh, but now I'm alive and I'm
alive forevermore. It's him that comes forward to
each of us tonight and says, fear not. It's your father's
good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Now consider that. The
father. The father's good pleasure. What
he pleases. What he does. He does exactly
what he is pleased to do. He doesn't ask permission. We
should, and it's polite to do so. Would you please, excuse
me, would you please forgive me? Oh, no. No, not with our
Heavenly Father. Whatever He is pleased to do,
He does. Our Father, our God, is able
to perform all that He's promised, all that He's pleased. Our God
is in the heavens. And He's done what? What? Whatsoever. Whatsoever he hath
pleased. Turn back, if you will, to Isaiah
chapter 14. Isaiah chapter 14. Here you have the record of Lucifer in chapter 14 at verse 12. How art thou fallen
from heaven, O Lucifer? Son of the morning, how art thou
cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations? For
thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven. Lucifer,
the word means day star. I will ascend into heaven. I
will exalt my throne above the stars of God. I will also set
up on the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north. What's
going to happen? Well, you know what happened.
Look, I will ascend above the heights of the clouds and I will
be like the Most High. No, no. Yet, verse 15, thou shalt
be brought down to hell to the sides of the pit. Look at verse,
jump down to verse 24. The Lord of hosts hath sworn.
Oh, he has his way, not Lucifer. The Lord of hosts have sworn
saying, surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass. As
I have purposed, so shall it stand. For the Lord of hosts
have purposed, and who shall disannul it? Not Lucifer. Not anyone else. And his hand
is stretched out, and who shall turn it back? Old Martin Luther. He knew something about persecution. the pope would often send a message
to him or someone would come to him and warn him, say, the
pope, the pope has threatened to kill you before the sun goes
down today. And Luther said, well, let's
sing a psalm and spite the devil. And he wrote this hymn, A Mighty
Fortress is Our God. And though this world with devil's
feel should threaten to undo us, we will not fear, for God
hath willed his truth to triumph through us. The prince of darkness
grim, we tremble not for him. His rage we can endure, for lo,
his doom is sure. One little word, she'll fail
him. She'll fail him. Oh, thank God,
your heavenly Father, has promised, it is his good pleasure to give
you the kingdom. It pleased God to do so. We read in first Samuel chapter
12, it pleased the Lord to make you his people. Isaiah 53, we
read, it pleased the Lord to bruise him. That involved him
making us his people. Did he bruise his son? Did he
crush his son? Yes, he did. But then we also
read, when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's
womb and called me by His grace, did that happen? Does that happen? Oh, Louie. Yes, it does. Yes, it does. I told someone
the other day, I was talking to someone the other night on
the phone and I reminded them of this. This world exists simply
for the purpose of God calling out His elect. He's still calling
out a people. That's how I know the gospel
of God's grace cannot return void. It is still the means He's
using to call out His people. And when He calls that last sheep
that He chose, that last one from whom Christ died, then He'll
just fold everything up and time shall be no more. We read also
in Isaiah chapter 53 that the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper
in the hand of who? Christ. That one that he was
pleased to bruise shall see the prevail of his soul, and the
pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. I remember seeing on TV one time
before I could flip the channel, one of these hucksters with their
health and wealth gospel saying, if it's going to be, it's up
to me. Can you imagine? Oh, no. Thank God, no. If it's going
to be, it's up to him. It's up to God and the Christ
of God. And the prophet said, the pleasure
of the Lord shall prosper, not in our hands, but in His hands. And He comes before us tonight,
brothers and sisters, and He says, fear not, little flock,
because it's your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. And we leave here tonight. and
face another week. Go out into the world. We're
in the world. Not of the world by His grace,
but we're still in the world. May God give us grace. May He
bring these blessed words of His, of our Lord, to our remembrance. We don't know what tomorrow holds,
but we know who holds tomorrow. And we're in His hand. And He
said, little flock, don't be afraid. Don't be afraid. Whatever comes your way, Don't
be afraid. It's your father's good pleasure
to give you the kingdom. God bless you.