The book of Isaiah chapter 43. Let's begin reading here in verse
1. Isaiah chapter 43 and verse 1. But now, thus saith the Lord
that created thee, O Jacob, and he that farmed thee, O Israel,
Fear not, for I have redeemed thee. I have called thee by thy
name, thou art mine. When thou passest through the
waters, I will be with thee. Through the rivers they shall
not overflow thee. When thou walkest through the
fire, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kennel
upon thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the
Holy One of Israel, thy Savior. I gave Egypt for thy ransom,
Ethiopia and Seba for thee. Since thou wast precious in my
sight, thou hast been honorable, and I have loved thee. Therefore
will I give men for thee, and people for thy life. Fear not,
for I am with thee. I will bring thy seed from the
east, and gather thee from the west. I will say to the north,
give up, and to the south, keep not back. Bring my sons from
far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth. Everyone that
is called by my name, for I have created him for my glory. I have
farmed him, yea, I have made him. Verse 1 begins here in a peculiar
way, and I think this is the disadvantageous of having these
chapters numbered as we have, as much as we appreciate them
and the necessity of them. But it begins here in verse 1,
but now. That's a strange way to begin
a chapter, isn't it? But now. And it refers back to
chapter 42 and what was just quoted there or written in verse
22 and verse 25. And it told of the condemnation
and the destruction of Israel. Look what he says here in verse
22 of chapter 42. This is a people robbed and spoiled. They are all of them snared in
holes. They are hid in prison houses.
They are for a prey, and none delivered, for a spoil, and none
saith restored. Who among you will give ears
to this? Who will hearken and hear for
the time to come? Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and
Israel to robbers? Did not the Lord, He against
whom we have sinned? For they would not walk in His
ways, neither were they obedient unto His law. Therefore he hath
poured upon him the fury of his anger, and the strength of battle,
and hath set him on fire round about, yet he knoweth it not. And it burned him, and yet he
laid it not to his heart. But then he says, But now, thus
saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that farmed thee,
O Israel, fear not. For I have redeemed thee, I have
called thee by thy name." Now it sounds like a contradiction
here, doesn't it? One verse he tells them that
they're under condemnation, he's going to destroy them, and then
he turns right around and says, I have redeemed thee, don't be
afraid. And if you'll study this closely, you'll see what he's
speaking about. He's talking about two different
Israels. You know there's two Israels
in the Scriptures. There's Israel after the flesh, the children
of the flesh. They're natural Israel. They're
Abraham's physical seed. They're Jews, but they're not
children of promise. And they're under condemnation.
They're under the judgment of God, and they're ready to perish. They're not the children of God. The children of the flesh are
always in spiritual bondage. They're always under the curse.
They're always trusting in the law. They're always trusting
in their own righteousness, in their own obedience. And the
judgment of God will come upon them in the end. That's who he's
talking about in chapter 42. But then he comes here, and I
love this contrast, don't you? But now, Here we have the difference
in Jacob after the flesh and Jacob after the spirit. Here
we have the difference between spiritual Israel and Israel after
the flesh. Here's the children of promise.
Here's the election of grace. The election hath obtained it,
the scripture says. They obtained what? Mercy. They
obtained grace. They obtained the blessings of
God, the election, the children of promise, and the rest. What about the rest? The rest
were blind, they weren't there. That's what we see in chapter
42, the rest. He has His election, and He redeemed
them, and He calls them, and He blesses them, and then there's
the rest. And what happens to them? Their
own hard hearts blinds them. Sin blinds them. The God of this
world blinds them. People kick against election.
They kick against God's election as though that's the greatest
enemy of humanity. But you know something, brothers
and sisters, that's the only hope of a fallen humanity. If
there's no election, He won't say to anybody, I've redeemed
thee. Redemption is for the elect, is it not? God's election gives hope to
a fallen humanity. What if He hadn't elected nobody?
What if He said, I'm just going to pass by everybody? What if
He said something like this? Maybe I'll just give them a chance. Nobody would have been saved.
Now you hold this right here and let me show you what this
same man said about this. Look over in chapter 1 of the
book of Isaiah. Look over in chapter 1, and he's
going to tell us the importance of God leaving a remnant in Isaiah
chapter 1. Look here what he's saying about
natural Israel. Look what he says in Isaiah chapter
1 in verse 4. Look at this. Here's what he
says about natural Israel. All sinful nation. A people laden
with iniquity. A seed of evildoers. Children
that are corruptors. They have forsaken the Lord.
They have provoked the Holy One of Israel into anger. They are
gone away backward. Why should you be stricken anymore?
You'll revolt more and more. The whole head is sick and the
whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even
to the head there is no soundness in it, but wounds and bruises
and putrefying sores, they have not been closed up, neither bound
up, neither mortified, soothed with ointment. Your country is
desolate. Your cities are burned with fire.
Your land's strangers devour it in your presence, and it is
desolate and overthrown by strangers. Now that's pretty bad adoptment
against humanity. That's the Jewish nation, the
seed of Israel after the flesh. Look here at a little remnant.
Look here at this little remnant he left in the midst of all of
this religious mess. Look what he says in verse 8.
The daughter of Zion is left like a booth, a little cottage
in a vineyard. When these farmers used to have
vineyards there in the east, they'd set up a little booth.
That's where a man went and sat in that little booth to watch
the vineyard to make sure foxes didn't come in and nobody came
in to pick the grapes. Just a little booth in the vineyard.
He said, that's my church. That's my elect people. Like
a little booth sitting out in a big vineyard. Or as a lodge,
as a little hut in the garden of cucumbers. Remember how Israel
used to complain when they left Israel, Egypt, that they longed
for their cucumbers? They loved those melons and cucumbers.
He said, my people, the church, is just like a little hut out
in the middle of a huge cucumber patch. And look what else he
says, as a besieged city. That word there means a guarded,
protected city, a maintained city, a besieged city. Now that
does not seem like much, does it? Here you've got most of the
religious Jews. They were under the judgment
of God. He says, I'm finished with you. Then He says, I've
got this little remnant out here that's like a little hut, like
a little lean-to, and like a besieged city. What would have happened
to everybody if the Lord hadn't have left that little remnant? And somebody said, well, you
talked about they're a very small number. Well, in comparison,
it's probably a small number. But I heard Brother Mahan one
time that said, when people say a handful, it depends on whose
hand you're talking about. If it's God's hand, that's a
bunch, ain't it? There's going to be a lot of people in heaven,
but still it's a remnant. What would have happened without
God's electing grace, brothers and sisters? Well, look in verse
9. except the Lord of hosts hath
left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom,
and we should have been like unto Gomorrah." We would have
all perished. We would have all perished. You
go out and stand on that mountain where Abraham stood. And you
look down over Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities of the plain,
and all you see is smoke coming up as the smoke of a great furnace. And when the fire quit falling
from heaven, there was nothing left but ashes. You go there
now, and there's no evidence that the cities ever were there. And he said if it wasn't for
God's electing grace, we'd have all been there. Every one of
us would have been there. Election is no man's enemy, is
it? If a man's ever had a friend,
it's God's electing grace. It's God's electing grace. All but now. But now. Look where Paul quotes this Scripture.
Look over in Romans chapter 9. He quotes from Isaiah chapter
1. Look in chapter 9. In verse 24,
look at this. Romans chapter 9, look in verse
24. When we look around us today, we see in the Gentile world just
about what you saw in the nation of Israel. Think of the churches. And I don't mean to be negative.
I don't even know most of the churches. Most churches, I don't
know them, but I don't know the pastors. But you can almost imagine,
can't you? Think of the people this morning
that the church buildings are full of people, and you wonder
what they're worshiping. You wonder what they're believing.
And there's masses of them, and I wonder if the most of them
cannot be said of them what the Lord said about the Jews. Your
sacrifices are a stink in my nostrils. I hate it. I hate it, he said. That's awfulism. But he rejects the worship. And
here in the middle of this big mess, national religion, national
patriotism. I wonder how many pastors are
going to get up this morning and preach the patronage of this
nation. We're all patriots and call that
the gospel. But right in the middle of all
this big mess, you know, there is a remnant according to the
election of grace. Look at it in verse 24. Look in verse 22 of
Romans 9. What if God, willing to show
His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering
the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction, fitted by their
sin? Fitted by the hardness of their
heart. Fitted by the working of the devil within them. Fitted
to destruction. And look at this, in that He
might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy
which He hath aforeprepared unto glory, even us whom He hath called,
not of the Gentiles, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles,
as He said in Hosea. I will call them My people which
were not My people, and her beloved which was not beloved." Even
us who are of the Gentiles. And look what He said in verse
29. As Isaiah said before, except the Lord of Sabaoth had left
us a seed, we had all been in Sodom and been made like unto
Gomorrah. Oh, but now. Isn't that wonderful?
But now, because of God's electing grace, but now, but now, Brother
Eric almost read it this morning, didn't he? But now, you who sometimes
were for all are made nigh by the blood of Christ. What is
it that distinguishes one person from another person? Is it not
grace? Did God not make the distinction
way back yonder in eternity past? Who put the difference between
Egypt and Israel? Did not God do it? And there's
a difference, isn't there? Oh, but now, but now, but now
He is comforted and you're tormented. Boy, that word means something,
doesn't it? But now. That's the only thing, brothers
and sisters, that made the difference. in this nation, those who perished
under their sin and those who were redeemed by Jesus Christ,
God's elect in grace. When you trace your salvation,
what do you trace it back to? What do you trace it back to? The Lord may have saved you 50
years ago, but your salvation goes back further than that.
It goes back before the world when He purposed to save you,
when He set you aside. in His covenant of grace. What
a contrast election makes. What a contrast. What is the
source of salvation? What's the fountainhead of salvation? With whom does it have its rise? Who planned it? Who executed
it? Who applies it? The whole of
salvation is attributed to the Lord God. And I'm not just saying
that. Look back over here in our text.
Look what He says here in our text in chapter 43, and look
in verse 1. But now, thus saith the Lord,
look at this, That created thee, O Jacob. See what salvation is? It's a creation. Who but God
can create? And the Scripture says that He
has created us in Christ Jesus, new creatures. But it not only
says that, He said, Who farmed thee? Who farmed thee? Boy, this new creature has a
farm too. He's fashioned. God is fashioning
you, dear child, this morning, and He's fashioning you just
like His Son. When He gets through with you,
when He gets finished with you, Christ is born in you and Christ
is being farmed in you, the likeness of Christ. And when He's finished
with you, you will be just like His Son. He's farmed you. He created you. He farmed you.
And He says here, I have redeemed thee. Fear not. I have redeemed
thee 2,000 years ago. Think of this, 2,000 years ago
you were redeemed. You were redeemed. Before that
you were elected. Then you were redeemed. And now
He says, I have called thee by thy name. Wasn't that what Christ
said? My sheep hear My voice. I know
them and they follow Me. And He says, I call them by their
name. Did you ever think of what that
means? When somebody calls you by your name, that gets your
attention. When they call your name, you
know they're talking to you. And that's what the Lord Jesus
meant when He says, I call them by their name. I tell you, when
He speaks to you, you'll know He's talking to you. And when
you find out He's talking to you, you'll be coming to Him
and believing on Him. I have found thee, O Israel.
I have redeemed thee. I have called thee by thy name."
And he says here, Thou art mine. You're mine. You're mine. You know He's going to have His,
isn't He? We're nothing in ourselves. We know that. He's taught us
that. I mean, we just cast contempt on ourselves. We say with Job,
we're so vile, don't we? Peter, Lord, I'm a sinful man,
but you know something? We're very, very, very valuable
to Jesus Christ. And I'll tell you why. We're
a gift from His Father. That's why we're valuable to
Him. He says, You're Mine. My Father has given you to Me. I have redeemed you at a great
cost to Myself. You're Mine. And I tell you,
if you're His, here's what you say. Lord, You're Mine. You're
Mine. I am My Beloved. and my beloved
is mine." But now, now, now, notice, and this is very important.
Verse 1, everything's in the past. Everything's in the past. It's already taken place. This
is the benefit you have this morning, dear child of God. When
you look back upon your past, you don't have to fear. Why? He's redeemed you. He has
redeemed you. He has called you. He has given
you a new life. He has forgiven your sins. When
you look back upon your past in this world, you don't have
to fear. He hath redeemed you. Isn't that
a wonderful thought? He deals you with the future.
You're disappointed with yourself. Man, I look back on my life,
my Christian life. I'm not talking about my ungodly
life when I was dead in my sin. I look back upon my Christian
life and I am so disappointed with myself. I'm just disappointed. I've failed. I see sins that
sometimes bothers me. When you look on your Christian
life, how do you feel? Aren't you ashamed? I am. But note this, whatever failings
that we feel and disappointments we truly have, those things will
make no difference in what God has done for our souls. The past is wiped clean. When we look on our past, all
that we're allowed to think of it really and honestly is this,
I'm redeemed. I'm redeemed by the blood and
death of Jesus Christ. Can I fear? Can I fear therefore? Whatever felons, whatever fallings
I have, can I fear? Fear not. I have redeemed thee. I've often quoted old Jeffrey
Thomas and what he said about our sins being put away 2,000
years ago. I've often thought about this
and it's been a source of great joy to me. He says as we think
upon our sins and even as we weep and repent of them, the
only way that we're allowed to consider our past sins is this. Two thousand years ago, on the
cross of Calvary, they were purged away. Isn't that wonderful? That's wonderful when I consider
my past. And I'm talking about my past.
I come here this morning around 930. That's my past. Tomorrow
everything will be past. My past is wiped clean. I'm redeemed. redeemed right
now, and that will never change. That will never be made Lloyd,
brothers and sisters. It will never change. Look here in chapter 43 and verse
21. Well, maybe we ought to put down
the wrong text. It's awful when my wife gets
some S on my notes. I had this too. I had it. Oh, here it is. Here it is. Chapter
44. I wanted to see this. Chapter 44. Look at this in verse
21. Look at this. This is wonderful. Think about your past. Talk about
the past. Look in verse 21 of chapter 44.
Remember these, O Jacob and Israel, for thou art my servant. I have
formed thee. Thou art my servant, O Israel.
Thou shalt not be forgotten of me. Look at this. I have blotted
out as a thick cloud thy transgression. And as a cloud thy sins, return
unto me, for I have redeemed thee. Sometimes when we get to
thinking of our past, we get so wrapped up and convicted and
feel so guilty of our sins and our utter failures. What do we
do? We leave the Lord. We leave Him
in our hearts. We start looking within or looking
around. Here He reminds us of the past. I have blotted your sins out. Return unto Me. You know what
I always have to do. Almost daily, you know what I'm
doing. I spend a lot of time returning. Just returning. Coming back to Him who redeemed
me and purged my sins away. Oh, the past. Fear not. Fear not. I tell you, it's going
to be a source of great joy, brothers and sisters, when we
pillow our dying heads and we look back upon the past. It's
going to be a great joy to remember this Scripture. Fear not, I have
redeemed thee. Nothing will change that. Nothing
in the past will change that. I have, I have, I have. Look back over at our text in
chapter 43 and look at this. Look at the future. He says something
here about the future in verse 2. And look at this. Here is
why the past is so important. Because of the future. When thou
passest through the waters, I will be with thee. And through the
river, they shall not overflow thee. When thou walkest through
the fire, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame candle
upon Notice how he says this. He didn't say if you pass through
the waters. He said when. It's just as certain
as God is that the saints, the children of God, are going to
suffer persecution. They're going to suffer trials. He foretells their immediate
future. There's no doubt about it. Here's
what's going to happen. I heard a man say the other day,
he said, you want some trials? You want to experience some suffering
in your life? He said, let the Lord save you.
Just let Him save you. And I'm not talking about giving
Him permission. I'm talking about when He saves
you, boy, here's what's going to happen. You might as well
set yourself, dear child of God. They're coming. waters, deep
waters, swift rivers, fire, the flame is going to kindle. They
are coming. They are coming. I want to show
you three things right quickly and to just take a minute about
these afflictions. I want you to turn to three scriptures
right quickly remembering about these trials, the water and the
floods and the fire and the flame. The first one is, look in 1 Thessalonians
chapter 3. The first thing to remember about
this is this. And you won't be so shocked and
surprised. You're a child of God this morning?
He's appointed afflictions for you. He's appointed trials for
you. Your Father in heaven has appointed
you to trials, and He's appointed trials to you. Look in 1 Thessalonians
chapter 3. Look in verse 1. Wherefore, when we could no longer
forbear, We thought it good to be left at Athens alone and sent
Timothy, our brother and minister of God, and our fellow laborer
in the gospel of Christ to establish you and to comfort you concerning
your faith, that no man should be moved by these afflictions. For yourselves know that we are
appointed thereunto." For verily, when we were with you, we told
you before that we should suffer tribulation, even as it came
to pass, as you know. For this cause, when I could
no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith, lest by some
means the tempter have tempted you, and our labors be in vain."
These afflictions, these trials, they are pointed. They are pointed. God has purposed His children
to go through trials. I did not understand that when
the Lord saved me, and I often forget it now. Trouble comes,
and I think, my goodness, what is this? Temptations come, my
word, this is going to kill me, this is going to get me. And
then I remember. My Father in Heaven appointed
that for me." There's no accidents. I know we talk that way out of
habit. Fate! Oh, that's fate. Fate is blind as a bat. We know
nothing about fate, do we? We know about the providence
of God. He rules every minute detail of our life, from the
hair that falls to the head, to the little bird that goes
through the air, to the grain of sand. Everything, God has
purposed it. And the first thing you have
to remember when you come into a trial, a tribulation, I mean
when the flames start kindling, remember this, this is from the
hand of my Father. This is from the hand of my Father.
He says when it will come. He says what it will be. He says
how deep it will go. And He says how long it will
last. These afflictions are appointed
when you walk through the waters. When you are stuck in the river,
the swift river, when the flame kindles. I have purposed you
to go through this. Won't that comfort us? My poor dad, he wasn't a great
man. When my mother died, he just
got into all kinds of personal trouble and difficulty. But you know he loved me. And
he never, that I can think of one time, let anything come on
me that he could keep from coming on me that would harm me. You
think my Father in heaven, you think your Father in heaven will
not do the same? Everything that touches you,
dear child, will do you no harm because it is from the hands
of your Father. Even the fire, you have the fire.
The second thing, look in 1 Peter chapter 4 and verse 12. Here is something else. 1 Peter
chapter 4 and verse 12. I know one of the first things
that you say when you get in a difficult trial. Maybe not
at first, but before it's over with, if it lasts very long,
I know exactly what you're going to say. This is strange. This is strange. You ever say
that? What am I going through? Nobody
ever experienced this before. I'm the only one that's ever
been in this situation. This is strange. Ain't that what
you say? Well, there's a lot of God's
children being right where you are. If you'll just look around,
you can see their footprints. They've been there before you
ever got there, and they went through the place. And look what
Peter says here in 1 Peter chapter 4 and verse 12. Beloved children
of God, Think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which
is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you,
but rejoice inasmuch as you are partakers of Christ's sufferings,
that when His glory shall be revealed, you may be glad with
exceeding joy." You know there's no temptation,
there's no trial, but just what's common to man. Don't the Bible
tell us that? It would scare me to death if
I thought, really, that what I'm going through has never happened
to anybody else. I'm breaking new ground here.
That would scare me to death. There's been all kinds of people
here before. The Lord's children go through the very same thing,
don't they? Don't think it's strange. Don't think it's strange. Think this. This is from the
hand of my Father. He's put me here. And He'll say
how long it lasts. And when it's finished, He'll
lift me up. That's my third point. Look in
1 Corinthians chapter 10. 1 Corinthians chapter 10. When you're here in these trials,
and you're in the river that's so swift, and the flames are
kindling upon you, remember this, your Father has already made
the way for your escape. Look at what He says in 1 Corinthians
chapter 10 and verse 13. There hath no temptation taken
you, but such as is common to man, But God is faithful who
will not suffer you to be tempted, above that you are able, but
will with the temptation also make a way to escape that you
might be able to bear it." He'll have a little porthole somewhere.
He'll have a little door and He'll get you out when you've
suffered enough. And He's the one that gets you
out and He's the one that says, that's enough. The only thing
I would warn you about, you trying to say it's enough. You say,
well, that's it. I'm out of here. I can't take
no more. And just giving up. Don't do that. You continue to
look to Him and trust Him and live, as old Bunyan used to say,
off the old grace. Live off the old grace. Sometimes
we'll thank Lord, I've used up all the grace You've given me.
But we haven't. There's more there. Just dig down and find
it and get it and live another day and wait for His deliverance.
You know we've got it. We've got perfect examples of
these things. The water. When you go through
the water. Haven't we read about people
going through the deep water before? And a way being made
for their escape. Remember Israel. The whole nation
of Israel. Probably 1.5 or 2 million people. And they were fleeing from Pharaoh
and they looked behind them and there was Pharaoh and all of
his army with chariots and horses going to come and take them back
into slavery. They couldn't go back. On either side of them
was mountains. They couldn't go left or right.
And out in front of them was the Red Sea. You think you've
been in a predicament? But what happened? What happened? A way was made for their escape. And who would have ever thought
of it? Nobody but God would have thought a way like that could
be made. And this is the way the Lord
works. It's really a miracle. When you've got to the end of
yourself and you can't go any farther, just stand still and
see the salvation of the Lord. He'll make a way for your escape. We know, too, about the rivers,
don't we? Remember when Israel was coming
into the land of promise? There's one thing that stood
between them and the land of rest, and that was the Jordan
River. Isn't it amazing what the Lord does sometimes? He knew the very way He was going
to bring them. He knew they were going to go across the Jordan
River. That's the only way to get into the land of Canaan.
And He spoke to the rain and said, Be on the earth. And it
rained a couple of days. He said, No, keep raining. And
it kept raining, kept raining, kept raining. And when Israel
got to the Jordan, it was flooded, it's banks. Well, we could have
got over this two weeks ago. We'd have a little trouble. We
could have got over it. Now what are we going to do? Remember
that? Sometimes, sometimes the Lord
puts us in a predicament. Buddy, you can't get out of it. There's no way around it. He's
led you to that place. And if He don't make a way for
your escape, you won't escape it. You won't escape it. He's leading you in this way.
And you're blind. And you'll just have to stand
there and look at those swift waters until the priests put
their feet there in the Jordan and it's parted and you go on
across. He makes a way. for your escape. And the fire, when you go through
the fire, the flames won't kindle upon you. Do we know anybody
in the Scriptures that was in the fire? We do, don't we? They put three little Hebrew
children in the fire. They said, we're going to burn
you up. We're not only going to burn you, we're going to make
that fire seven times hotter than it was before. It was so
hot it slew them that threw those fellows in the fire. But you
know something? A way was made for their escape.
A miracle. The Lord Jesus, the Son of God,
came there with them and was there with them in the fire. I don't know what we might face,
brothers and sisters. I don't know what you might face
in your personal life. But I do know this much. When
the waters get deep, you're afraid you're going to be crushed to
death. and the river's so swift you can't walk across it and
you feel like you're in the fire, the fiery trials, He'll make
a way for you to escape. He rules the regions of the sea,
He can part the waters, and He's in the flames of fire. Nothing
will hurt you. That's the future. That's the
future. You have any dread of the future? Huh? Have any anxiety about the
future? I'll tell you what it's going
to hold. I know, I'm a smart fellow. I can tell you what you're
going to run into tomorrow. Trouble. Trouble. And you're going to be confused
and you're going to say, man, this is strange. And you're going
to find yourself just waiting on the Lord to deliver you. What about the present? Look
back at her text one more time, just a second. The present. Consider
the present. If you want to turn to chapter
41, verse 13 and 14, I want to read these two verses, considering
the future. Look at this. Isaiah 41, 13, 14. For I, the
Lord thy God, will hold thy right hand. Isn't that touching? Don't you love that? I, the Lord,
the Eternal God, the Sovereign of heaven and earth, I will hold
your right hand, saying unto thee, fear not, I will help thee. That's future, isn't it? I will. Fear not, thou worm, Jacob. If
I just realize that the Lord knows me better than I know myself,
He knows I'm a worm. I was taken out of the dust and
I'm going back to the dust. He knows us, brothers and sisters. He doesn't look at us and say,
boy, I hope they can make it. I think they can. They're pretty
strong people. He knows us. We're worms. The eternal God
holds our hands and says, ìDonít fear. Iíll help you.î The present. Look what He says about the present.
Chapter 43 and verse 5. And weíll close with this. Look in verse 5. He doesnít say
very much about the present. Just a few words. Just a few
words. But boy, they are packed with
meaning. Verse 5. ìFear not, for I am with thee.î
Thereís the very present time. I am with thee. That's all he says about it.
One little, short sentence. But that's enough, isn't it?
That's enough. What else matters, brothers and
sisters, if He's with us? Who can hurt us if He's with
us? What can hurt us if He's with us? I've often said this. I'd rather be in the fire with
Him than to be outside the flames
without Him. Would you? I'd rather be in hell with Jesus
Christ my Lord than in heaven without Him. Hell would be heaven
with Him. Heaven would be hell without
Him. His presence is all that matters. And here's the promise. I am with Him. I am with Him. Boy, I don't mind the deep waters
if He's with me. Don't mind the flame if He's with you. I appreciate
dear friends, don't you? Especially God's children. But
boy, sometimes the Lord removes them that we may appreciate His
presence more. Do you ever call somebody? I mean, you're in trouble and
you're lonely, you need some help, and you call a dear brother
and they wouldn't answer the phone. You go by their house
and they won't answer the door. And you can't get in contact
with anybody. It's like you can't find a friend. You can't find
anybody to help you. You know the Lord shuts His people
up to that sometime. You can't find help from anybody.
And you turn to Him. You turn to Him. And you find
in Him that friendship. You find in Him that fellowship
that you can't find in anybody else. He's a friend that sticketh
closer than a brother. Here's the way Paul said it.
At my first sentence, no man stood with me, but all forsook
me. All forsook me. And I was somewhat
lonely. I was somewhat apprehentious
because I was standing by myself and nobody stood with me. Notwithstanding,
the Lord stood with me. The Lord. That's all that matters,
isn't it? That's all that matters. Daniel had nobody with him but
the Lord when he went to the den of lions. David said, When
my father and my mother forsake me, the Lord will take me up. He said, Also he shall deliver
the needy when he cries, the poor also, and him that hath
no helper. If there are times, dear child
of God, that you are just shut up to yourself, it seems like all your friends have
forsaken you. They are not there for you. Family
is not there for you. Nobody is there for you and you
have no helper. Oh, find your help in Jesus Christ. Seek His presence. He is a friend that sticketh
closer than a brother. Turn to Hebrews 13 and I will
read this and we will close. Hebrews chapter 13. Look in verse 5, Hebrews 13 and
5. Did you find it? Hebrews 13 and 5. Let your conversation, your whole
manner of life, be without covetousness. Be content with such things as
you have. For He hath said, I will never
leave thee. I will never forsake thee. so that we may boldly say, The
Lord is my Helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto
me." His presence. His presence. I am with you.
I am with you. Oh, Father in Heaven, gracious
and wise and kind and merciful Father in Heaven, We do thank you, we do bless
your name. We bow before you, our hearts
to worship you. We're so thankful for this blessed
portion of scripture. So thankful that you know exactly
what we need. As amazed as we are to think
that you have chosen us to salvation. Chosen us to life everlasting.
that You have redeemed us at a great cost, that You've called
us, You've given us Your life and new life, and that everything
that happens to us, You're so careful that it doesn't eternally
hurt us. Oh, Lord, we can't begin to grasp
such love and faithfulness. We've not found it in this life.
We've not found it in ourselves. We only see it in You, the faithful
God. Thank You for such a passage
of Scripture. all give us faith to live in
the reality of this. Thank you for every dear one
that's gathered here today. Would you bless our food? Would
you receive our thanksgiving for it? We thank you for it. Thank you for an appetite. Thank
you for our health. Thank you for each one that's
gathered here today. And Lord, we pray, as Eric has
already prayed, for those in trouble, for those who are in
trials, those who have lost their loved ones, those who are terribly
sick. Oh, Lord, we look to You. We
can't affect a thing, but we look to You who rules all things.
In Jesus, our Lord's name, amen. Let's go back and eat a sum,
and I hope all of you can stick around, and we'll come back and
worship just for a few minutes, around one o'clock.