[0:00] Let us resume our public worship of God by singing to his praise from Psalm 46. Psalm 46, we're going to sing verses 1 to 7.
[0:18] God is our refuge and our strength in strength at present aid. Therefore, although the earth remove, we will not be afraid.
[0:28] Though hills amidst the seas be cast, though waters roaring make and troubled be, yea, though the hills by swelling cease to shake, however is whose streams do glad the city of our God, the holy place wherein the Lord most high hath his abode.
[0:49] God in the midst of her doth dwell, nothing shall her remove. The Lord to her and help her will and that right early prove. The heathen raged tumultuously.
[1:01] The kingdom's mood where? The Lord God uttered his voice. The earth did melt for fear. The Lord of hosts upon our side doth constantly remain.
[1:14] The God of Jacob's own refuge is safely to maintain. And so on. Verses 1 to 7 of Psalm 46.
[1:25] God is our refuge and our strength in strength of present aid. God is our refuge and our strength in strength of present aid.
[1:49] God is our refuge and strength in strength of present aid. Therefore, although He earthenewed, we will not be afraid.
[2:06] Though hills amidst the seas be cast, Though waters flowed in rain, Though waters flowed in rain, And from a beach in all the hills, By swam in seas to shade, A river of streams to shine, The city of the God, The holy place,
[3:09] When the Lord most high hath established. When the Lord most high hath established.
[3:24] God in the midst of fire doth dwell, Nothing shall high remove, The Lord to heart and help and will, And that my daily proof.
[4:01] The heathen rich to mount us free, The kingdom's moved where, Now HE's high for what we all Talking about.
[4:21] The Lord most high hath known, And that my frankly hareem will come to see, The Lord of hosts upon our side Thou constantly remain The God of Jacob's power refuge As safely to maintain Let us join together in prayer
[5:23] Gracious God, as we come before you Enable us to remember that we are in your presence As we worship, we seek the spirit of worship We seek to get over the mountains of our provocation With your help To ride upon the heavens By the leading of your own spirit To be rid for a time of our earth-boundedness We are of the dust Too often we are in the dust Our view of the divine
[6:26] Is so limited That we cannot conceive of a being That is unlike ourselves But you are our God who is high and lifted up You are our God who is God over all Who inhabits eternity Who has no beginning And who has no end You are our God over all You are the God who was God even before this world Was in place So that those in it By your own divine power Would acknowledge God to be God You did not depend upon man to exist In order for the acknowledgement of your divine personage
[7:27] To be before you For in the mystery of the divine being Father, Son and Holy Spirit There was a communication Of attributes Just as surely there was A communication Where one Part of the whole Exalted The other We acknowledge That these things Are things that we may Think of And talk of But Have little capacity To understand Do not allow us to draw back But rather to approach So as to Have an encounter With the God who is God To approach a throne of grace As we are invited to do By reason of
[8:29] The activity Of one Who is divine Even the Son of the Most High God In whose name we are able to come And to plead the merits Of his finished work Assured that you are willing to receive us In his name We pray your blessing upon our service Upon the reading of your word As we Sing your words Words that you have given Through the personages Appointed By your own Will to Declare Your interests In this world You Brought your word Into the mouths of A number Who Are spoken of As prophets And as Apostles As saints Of the Old
[9:29] And the New Testament We have your word Through them But it is your word In a mysterious way Your word Comes To them To them And through them To us With a measure Of their own Personalities And yet Without Without In any way Adulterating Or Embellishing Or restricting The Power of the Most High God That lies behind This word We pray For wisdom To hear Your voice Above all Voices And to Acknowledge That you are Speaking to us Even through Words that you Spoke Centuries ago To others You speak to us In the present Generation With equal Validity And with Equal Power May we hear What God The Lord Doth Speak
[10:30] For you speak Peace to Israel We pray For your Blessing Upon the Word Preached Here in This place And in Every other Gathering Of your People This night And on All occasions Within our Island community Every nation And all the Nations of the Earth We give Thanks And it is This same Gospel That is Blessed And that Is assured Of being Blessed Because it Is the Good news Of salvation Through our Redeemer Even Jesus Christ The Righteous As he Is lifted Up in The gospel We pray That all Would listen With attentive Ears And their Eyes Searching Out for Him And seeing Him In all His beauty And being Able to Determine For themselves This indeed Is Christ Lord We pray We pray For him Who is The good Shepherd The one
[11:30] Who is Mindful Of the Needs Of his Flock We pray That his Word To us This evening Would Remind us Of the Interest That he Has In the Sheep That bear His name And that There are Others Who would Desire To bring Into the Fort We pray For the One Who is The great High Priest Of his People And that As he Is actively Interceding On our Behalf Even now That we Would come Under the Shelter Of the Sprinkled Blood That we Would know That he Is attentive To our Needs Every one Of us Whoever We may Be Whatever Our Needs Are However Remote These Needs May Be From The Needs Of Others However Strange They May Be Our Fearful We are In the Face of Diverse Providence As we Pray That your
[12:32] Peace May be Brought To bear Upon All our Circumstances We ask Lord That you Would Remember Those Who Are Unable To be Present With us That they May be Blessed By your Presence Where they Are Those Who Are Confined To Their Homes Or Homes Supported For Them In Their Weakness In Their Infirmity We pray For Them And Those Who Care For Them Remember The Hospital And Those Who Are Found There And Those Who Seek To Address Their Needs In Whatever Way Remember The House Bound The Hospitalized Those In Care Homes Those Who Are Even Preparing To Take Their Leave Of This World Having Been Told By The Medical Authorities That Their Life Is Soon To Be Over Because Of The Disease That
[13:32] Is Marking Their Bodies In Many Ways They Have A Privilege In Knowing That The End Is Nigh But That Is Not A Privilege If They Do Do Not Avail Them Of The Opportunity To Make Peace With God Through Christ Jesus So We Pray For Any Such That You Would Remember Them Even Those Who Are Trying To Deal With Their Own Circumstances Within Their Homes Your People Amongst Them Sanctify This Visitation To Them And To Us We Pray Remember The Grieving And The Sorrowful Those Who Understand What Death Entails And Those Whose Hearts Are Broken As They Come To Terms With What Is Irreversible When They See Empty Places That Will Never Again Be Filled With Those Who Took Such An
[14:32] Important Place In Their Lives A Voice Will Never Be Heard Again Counsel That Is Wise And Perhaps Was So Read Heard Is No Longer To Be Given So Many Different Circumstances Surround The Removal From Our Sphere Of Influence Those That We Know And Love And We Pray Lord That You Would Remind Us Of The Many Privileges That You Give To Us Even In The Interaction That We Have With Those Who Know The Lord We We We We We Pray For Your Blessing Upon The Proclamation Of Truth Throughout The Land Every Medium Of Communication May Be Sanctified Whether It Is Online Or Computer Or By Disc Or Whatever Way We Give Thanks For The Many Who Have Found This To Be A Blessing
[15:32] To Them When They Are Denied The Public Means Of Grace We Are Remember Before You A Nation A Nation That Is Lost Wayward And Indifferent To Its Plight Their Lostness Is Such That They Are Unaware Of Being Lost And There Is No Sadder Plight Than Being On A Path That Is Taking Them Further And Further Away From God Without Realizing That That Is The Path That They Are Remember Those In Power Over Us Remember Our King And The Queen We Pray For Him Pray For His Family We Pray For A Day Of Power And Outpouring Of Your Spirit That Would Touch The High And Lofty Those Who Believe Themselves To Be Accountable To None Such Is Their Privilege They Think That They Have
[16:33] No Greater Privilege Possible Than To Be As They Are And Yet Because They Are Christless They Are Truly Impoverished So In Their Poverty Bring That Poverty Home To Them A Poverty Of Spirit That They May Cry Out To The God Whose Storehouses Are Ever Full And Who May Supply Their Need More Than Any Mere Man May So Be With Us We As As A Nation Remember The Nations That Are Experiencing War We Pray For The Ukraine We Pray For Those Embroiled In Battle There Those Affected By It With No Power To Play In It Other Than To Submit To The Terrors That Come Upon Them Without Asking We Think Of The Yemen Other Parts Of The Globe That Are Engaged In Struggles
[17:34] And Have Been For So Long Oh Lord Be Merciful To Us Be Merciful To Us Remind Us Through The Tragic Circumstances Of Natural Calamities That You Are A God Who Is Displeased With The Children Of Men And Your Displeasure Can Bring Nothing But Grief To All Who Are Oblivious To It And Even Those Who Were Innocent Brought To Experience It For Themselves We Ask Lord That You Would Remember Us In Mercy Continue To Watch Over His Pardon Sin In Jesus Name Amen Let us Sing Now To God's Praise From Psalm 91 Again We're Singing From The Beginning Down To Verse 6 He
[18:35] That Doth In The Secret Place Of The Most High Reside Under The Shadow Of Him That Is The Almighty Shall Abide I Of The Lord My God Will Say He Is My Refuge Still He Is My Fortress And My God And In Him Trust I Will Assuredly He Shall The Save And Give Deliverance From Subtle Foul Or Schneer And From The Noise And Pestilence His Feather Shall The Hide Thy Trust Under His Wings Shall Be His Faithfulness Shall Be Asherly And Buckler To The Thou Shalt Not Need To Be Afraid For Terrors Of The Night Nor For The Arrow That Doth Fly By Day While It Is Light Nor For The Pestilence That Walks In Darkness Secretly Nor For Destruction That Doth Waste At Noonday Hopely And So On And
[19:35] Sing From The Beginning Of The Psalm He That Thoth In The Secret Place Of The Most High Beside He That Doth He That Doth The Secret Place Of The Most High Side Under The Speed Of Him That Is Your Might Be That Abide I O'er The Lord
[20:36] My God My Will See He Is My Re Re He Is My Fortress And My God dead ihnen I Well Haue Is Why someone That That A Sh The Father's near and from the noise of his still ends.
[21:43] His feather shall be high like blood, under his wing shall be.
[22:01] His faithfulness shall be a shield, a mark of God to thee.
[22:19] Thou shalt not need to be afraid, for ten hours of the night.
[22:38] Nor for the arrow that blight, by day white is light.
[22:56] Nor for the pestilence that walks in darkness secretly.
[23:14] Nor for destruction that doth waste at noongale openly.
[23:36] I'm going to read from the scriptures of the Old Testament and the book of the prophet Neha. And we're reading chapter 1.
[23:49] The book of the prophet Neha and chapter 1. We'll read the whole of the first chapter.
[24:04] Neha chapter 1 verse 1. The burden of Nunaví. The book of the vision of Nahum, the El-Koshat.
[24:18] God is jealous and the Lord revenges. The Lord revenges and is furious. The Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries.
[24:30] And he reserves wrath for his enemies. The Lord is slow to anger and great in power. And will not at all acquit the wicked.
[24:45] The Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm. And the clouds are the dust of his feet. He rebuketh the sea and maketh it dry.
[24:59] And dryeth up all the rivers. Bayesian languishes. Bayesian languishes. The Black��고 sam MAYR abdomen and the flour of Lebanon languishes. The mountains quake at him and the hills melt.
[25:14] And the earth is burned at his presence. yea the world and all that dwell therein who can stand before his indignation and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger his fury is poured out like fire and the rocks are thrown down by him the Lord is good a stronghold in the day of trouble and he knoweth then that trust in him but with an overrunning flood he will make another end of the place thereof and darkness shall pursue his enemies what do you imagine against the Lord he will make another end affliction shall not rise up the second time for while they be folded together as thorns and while they are drunken as drunkards they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry there is one come out of thee that imagineth evil against the Lord a wicked counsellor thus saith the Lord though they be quiet and likewise many yet thus shall they be cut down and when he shall pass through though I have afflicted thee
[26:40] I will afflict thee no more for now will I break his yoke from off thee and will burst thy bonds in sunder and the Lord hath given a commandment concerning thee that no more of thy name be sown out of the house of thy gods will I cut off the graven image and the molten image I will make thy grave for thou art vile behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings that publisheth peace O Judah keep thy solemn feasts perform thy vows for the wicked shall no more pass through thee he is utterly cut off Amen and may the Lord add his blessing to a reading of his word to his name be the praise we can sing now to God's praise from Psalm 103
[27:50] Psalm 103 singing from verse 8 The Lord of God is merciful and he is gracious longsuffering and slow to wrath in mercy plenteous he will not chide continually nor keep his anger still with us he dealt not as we sinned nor did it require to rule for as the heaven in its height the earth surmounteth far so great to those that do him fear his tender mercies are as far as east is distant from the west so far has he from us removed in his love all our iniquity such pity as a father hath and to his children dear like pity shows the Lord to such as worship him in fear for he remembers we are dust and he our frame well knows frail man his days are like the grass as flower in field he grows and so on we'll sing these verses 8 through to 15 of Psalm 103 the Lord of God is merciful the Lord of God is merciful and he is gracious he will not chide nor did we find not generally nor keep his anger still with us he dealt not as we sinned nor did we find nor did we find nor will nor did we find nor did we find nor did we find nor do we shall for as the head� off for as the head of his heart in his heart he ear sund Jefferson mounteth tom
[30:43] So great to host that you can fear this tender man's desire.
[31:01] As far as Jesus comes from the west of the valley, From the street who lived in Israel, All our equity, Such pity as the Father hath unto his children dear, Like pity shows the Lord to touch,
[32:09] As worshipeth in fear. For he remembers we are thus, And he our faith well knows, For him and his desire, Like the grass, As clouded in fear flows.
[32:59] We turn to the book of the prophet Nahum, Chapter 1, And we can read again at verse 7, The book of the prophet Nahum, Chapter 1, Verse 7, The Lord is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble, And he knoweth then that trust in him.
[33:28] He knoweth then that trust in him. I think I probably mentioned this person before, But it doesn't matter, A preacher in America by the name of James Van Tholen, And I think he lectured in one of the colleges over there, He belonged to a different tradition to her own, But sadly, At the age of 36, He was struck down by cancer, And passed away.
[34:15] And probably because of how he bore himself during his time of illness, It probably attracted attention to what he had to say.
[34:30] But some of his preaching was preserved, And contained in some books. But it's what he had to say, And really what he had to say, Concerning one thing in particular, That caught my eye.
[34:50] And he was quoting somebody else, And that person, He said, Had written a book, And the name of the book was, Your God is too little.
[35:04] Your God is too little. And Van Tholen was of the opinion, That if a sequel to that book, Was going to be written again, Or written, That the title that would be given to that book, Is, Your God is too nice.
[35:27] Your God is too nice. And he gave a reason for his thinking, That too many, In our modern society, Do not like the idea of sin.
[35:47] And you may think, Well, That's good. That's good. They shouldn't like the idea of sin. But what he meant by it was, That they don't like to be taught, That they are sinners.
[36:01] They don't like to be told, That being sinners, Their sinfulness, Has consequences.
[36:14] And this morning, We were talking about, The problem, As Paul identified it, Of indwelling sin. And the need to, Be aware of it, And the need to deal with it.
[36:28] And, To all intents and purposes, Such a sermon, Would not be, Widely appreciated. Because, As Van Hollen put it, The God, Of, Our generation, Is a God, Who is, A God, That is the product, Of an enlightened, Society.
[36:55] An enlightened, An enlightened, An enlightened, Culture. And as you are, Well aware, We live in a, Negalitarian society, Everybody, Has a right, To have, An opinion, And whatever, Their opinion is, It's valid, It is not, Allowed, To challenge, That opinion, Because, Everything, Everything, That we do, We have a right, To do it.
[37:31] Whatever, Our, Opinions are, Wherever, We got them from, No one has a right, To say, Well that is, Wrong, That is based on, A misconception, In our egalitarian, Society, God is equal, To man, And man is equal, To God, A God, Who is, Our equal, A God, Who is, Our friend, No more than a friend, Our chum, A God, Who is, Nothing, But nice, There are many people, Dismiss the need, That there is, To preach from the Old Testament, Because they don't like, The God of the Old Testament, And they say, He's not, Nothing like the God, Of the New Testament, But they're wrong, Because the God, Of the Old Testament,
[38:31] Is the same God, That we have in the New Testament, There's no other God, The God of the Old Testament, Is the God, Of the New Testament, And what we understand, About the God, Of the Old Testament, And the God, Of the New Testament, Is, That this God, Is a holy God, A just God, A righteous God, A God, Who is indignant, Over sin, A God, Who condemns it, A God, Who will judge it, And, A God, Who will hold, The sinner accountable, That's the kind of God, You meet in the book, Of the prophecy, Of Nahum, A God, Who is righteous, A God, Who is the sovereign king, And a God, Who is, The very God, Who will, In many respects, Be the enemy, Of those,
[39:32] Who are opposed to him, Now, The words of our text, Stand out, Don't they? Because, They stand out, In this respect, That, The God, That we've, Actually, Mentioned there, Is a God, Who, Seems, To be, A God, Who is different, To the God, That is, Identified, In verse 7, If you read the whole book, It's not a long book, It's a very short book, Three chapters long, And, This God, Is a God, Who has, Declared, His purpose, In destroying, The enemies, Of Israel, In reducing them, To nothing, And doing so, In a most, Ferocious way, And throughout the book,
[40:33] You find, Words, That are very, Very, Strong, And indicative, Of such a God, Exercising, Judgment, In a way that, No one of us, Would ever wish, To confront, Yet in the middle of that, We find these words, The Lord is good, A stronghold, In the day of trouble, Who knows, Those who trust, In him, And we need to be, As, Content, In our understanding, Of who God is, That he, Is, Both these things, He is the God, That we can rely on, Turn to, And rest, Assured, Of his, Help, And assistance, When we need him, Just as surely, As his holiness,
[41:34] Is not separated from him, In any, Meaningful way, In the Old Testament, Book of Exodus, We are reminded there, Of the encounter, That Moses had, With God, And God, Had to teach Moses, As he has to teach, Every one of us, I think that's important, For us to remember, That these saints, Of the Old Testament, These saints, Of the New Testament, Had to learn, Much about God, It wasn't knowledge, That they, That they came into the world, Equipped with, They had to discover, For themselves, Truths, About God, About who he is, And what he did, And why he had to do it, Just as surely, As they needed to discover, Truths about themselves, And Moses, This, Eminent saint, Of the Old Testament, Through whom God,
[42:35] Was going to work, Mightily, He, Asked God, To show him, Himself, Read in Exodus, Exodus 33, Moses said, I beseech thee, Show me your glory, And he said, I will make, I will make, All my goodness, Pass before you, And I will proclaim, The name of the Lord, Before you, I will be gracious, To whom I will be gracious, And I will have compassion, On whom, I will have compassion, Maybe that's your kind of God, A God that you would suspect, Is a nice God, A God that you would be, Ready to meet with, And, Be comfortable in his presence, But he is the same God, That spoke, These words, In the prophecy of Nahum, A God who is, Going to, Bring, Hellfire as it were,
[43:40] Down upon, The people, Later on in the, Next chapter of Exodus, The Lord passed by, Before Moses, And proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, Mercyful and gracious, Longsuffering and abounding, In goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, Forgiving iniquity, And transgression and sin, By no means, Clearing the guilty, Visiting the iniquity, Of the fathers and the children, And the children's children, To the third and fourth generation, Combination, Of things said, About that God, A God, Who is never inconsistent, With the revelation, That he gives us of himself, His holiness, His goodness, His justice, His truth, Ever righteous, Ever holy, But we need to put the words,
[44:42] As I said, Into some kind of context, And, There is, We have this, Ability, To put it into, Historical context, Simply by, By reading through, The prophecy, And, Discovering there, That, The prophet, Although this little, Told us about who he is, That he lived, At a time, When, When, When, The Assyrians, Were still, A power, To be reckoned with, The historians, Will tell us, That, 612 BC, The, The destruction, Of Nineveh, Took place, And, In chapter 3, The prophet mentions, The destruction, Of Egyptian cities, Having already,
[45:44] Taken place, And again, The destruction, Of these cities, Was in, 66, 63, BC, So, You've got a date, For that, Perhaps a better date, For you, Is this, If you remember, Last Sunday, We were speaking, About the prophet, Jonah, And the prophet, Jonah, Was sent by God, To Nineveh, To preach, Against that, City, And, The Lord, Spared, Nineveh, Because of the repentance, Of the Ninevites, If your Bible, Were to be, The Septuagint, Which is the Greek version, Of the Old Testament, In the Greek version, Of the Old Testament, The book of the prophet, Jonah, And the book of the prophet, Nahum, Are side by side, But there is a hundred years, Of a difference, Between, The ministry of Jonah,
[46:46] And the ministry, Of, Nahum, So that, When you, Read in Jonah's, Prophecy, That the Ninevehs, Have repented, And listened, To the word, Of the Lord, Clearly, That repentance, Did not last, As sometimes, Is the case, People repent, People feel sorrow, For sin, People are influenced, By God, But the nation, Went back to their ways, And if you, Understand, Anything about the history, Of this people, What is said about them, Was that they were, A desperately, Wicked people, They were, Renowned is not the word, They were notorious, Because of their brutality, When they were, Embroiled in war,
[47:47] They treated their, Prisoners despicably, They mutilated their bodies, And they did all kinds, Of wicked things, But not only that, In their worship, They were also, Responsible, Responsible, For gross, Indecencies, In their, Idolatrous practices, They, Were responsible, For, Child, Sacrifices, That's the kind of people, That Nahum, Was speaking about, That's the kind of people, That God, Was now, Going to deal with, That's the kind of people, Who, Who, Had lived on, In their sin, Until the time, That God, Had declared, So far, And no further, Their wickedness, Would be curtailed, Very, Very, Quickly, So that's,
[48:48] That's the, The context, If you like, And I think, It makes, The words, That are spoken here, Stand out, So if it was simply, These words, In a gospel setting, Perhaps you would say, Well that's what we believe, God to be, A God who is good, A God who is, Who is, Always there, For, For his people, When they need him, A God who is, There, For those who, Trust in him, But it's in the middle, Of a prophecy, That describes, To us, The relationship, That he has, With a people, Who are, His people, Even in the midst of, A perverse, A grossly, Wicked generation, So there are, Three things,
[49:48] That we, Read about God here, First of all, He says, That God is good, He is a stronghold, In the day of trouble, And he knows, Them, That trust, In him, Now again, You have to remind yourself, Of this, That, Your picture, The picture, That you have of God, Must be, A picture, That does not, Allow God, To change, You may change, The world, In which you live, Doubtless changes, But God, Does not, God is ever, The same, Sometimes, He, Is, Demonstrably, Willing, To show, Patience, Even, In the face, Of, Desperate, Wickedness,
[50:50] In order, To allow, Such, Wickedness, To be, Cancelled, And, Repented of, But, He doesn't change, Because of, Of that, We might, Know this, For ourselves, We may know, Know, Some of what it means, We may understand, Some of it, To a limited degree, But the goodness, Of God, Is something, That does not change, By reason, Of circumstances, That's what needs, To be, To be, Emphasized, Professor, John L. Mackay, The late, Professor John L. Mackay, Brackets, Together, Verse 6, And verse 7, And if you read, Verse 6, We read, Who can stand, Before his indignation, Who can abide, In the furestness, Of his anger, His fury, Is poured out, Like fire, And the rocks,
[51:51] Are thrown down, By him, And then, We have the words, Of our text, The Lord is good, A stronghold, In the day of trouble, And he knows then, That trust, The same God, It's the same God, It's not two different entities, It's not two different deities, It's one and the same God, A God, Who is capable, Of, Of wrath, Wrath, In the face of those, Who, Who, Constantly, And, Pursue a life, Where they are, Unwilling, To, Turn from it, And, We need to remind ourselves, Just as, Moses was taught, About God, And Moses learned, A lesson about God, When God spoke to him, The same God, Speaks to us,
[52:52] Through his word, Reminding us, Of this fact, That God is good, Those of you who pray, May at some point, Have prayed to God, For him to do something, For you, Perhaps, To supply you, With some need that you had, Or to, Bring healing, Perhaps, In your, In your life, When you were suffering sickness, Or, Whatever, And you thought, Well I'll pray to God, About it, And often people say to, To me, We'll pray about it, We'll pray about it, And I'm glad, That they're able to say that, But, What are they expecting, By return, Of their prayers, Is it always the case, That when we pray, We receive the answer, That we want, To hear, From God,
[53:54] Is God, Duty bound, To give us, What we want, From him, Now that's a complex question, In many respects, Because you would think, That we know best, What, Suits us best, But if God decides, Not to answer, Our petition, Not to give to us, What we've sought from, Does that mean, That God is not good, Does that mean, That God stops, Being good, Because he hasn't, Given to us, What we've asked, Of him, Well it doesn't, God doesn't change, His goodness, Does not change, It may, Be that, In time, That he will teach us, That what we were, Wanting from him, Was not the best,
[54:55] For us, It may be, That in time, We will discover, That, What we wanted, Was not really, Going to, Produce, The kind of result, That we expected, Or that we would, Desired, It may be, That it will not, Even in time, Be revealed to us, Because God's ways, Are a mystery, And it may be, That some people, Anyway, Are of the opinion, That in eternity, The Lord's people, Will discover, The things, That God has kept, Hidden in time, And that they will, Come to know it, But what we need, To remind ourselves, Of and what we need, To believe, Concerning God, Is that his goodness, Is a constant, The circumstances, Do not change it, God was good, When the Ninevites, Were these people, Who the prophet,
[55:58] Was sent to speak to, That they were, A people, That God allowed, To go on, In their wickedness, Even to the extent, That that wickedness, Allowed them to enter, Into the lands, Of God's people, And, And plague them, And, Do all kinds, Of terrible things, And yet, In God's time, He curtailed, Their activities, Spurgeon uses, An illustration, Which marks out, The way we are, When we, When we are frustrated, By what God is doing, Or not doing, You know, If you look at, Current, Modern society, We say, Of God, Well, Why do you allow, Things to go on, As they are, Why should, We have to,
[56:59] Put up, With all the nonsense, That we see, That is, Current, In our own generation, And, God, God, Could easily, Be, By reason, Of his divine power, With, One word, Bring, All these things, To an end, And he doesn't, But, We are not, As wise as God, And he knows, What he is doing, And, We know that, There are times, When he allows things, To go on, But, Only so far, And, What Spurgeon was saying, Sometimes he says, You read a book, An article in a paper, And, In that article, You are longing, To see what comes next, And, What you, What you are confronted with, Is, To be continued, To be continued, In other words, The story is not fully told, In that article,
[58:00] There is an article, That will follow, Next week, Or next month, So, The person, Desperate to know, What was happening, Will have to wait, And he said, What God is doing, Is sometimes like that, He is doing something, Continually, And he will continue, To do what he is doing, But what you can't be assured of, Because the God of heaven, Is a good God, The Lord's mercy, And the Lord's loving kindness, Ever remains the same, And especially, In the experience, Of his people, What Spurgeon said, Was his providential goodness, Is an endless chain, A stream, Which follows the pilgrim, A wheel, Perpetually revolving, A star, Forever shining, And that is, Unchangeable, But the Lord,
[59:03] Who is good, Is a stronghold, In the day of trouble, A stronghold, In the day of trouble, We sang, We sang, Some of the psalms, And there are many of them, That commend God, To us, As a God, To whom we can, Go, In time, Of trouble, God is our refuge, We were singing, And our strength, In strates, A perfect aid, We know that, We've experienced it, For ourselves, The book of psalms, Is full, Of such, Experiences, That the psalmist, Was able to compose, Out of his experiences, How God, Met with him, How God, Dealt with him, How God, Spoke to him, In his darkest hour, Literally, Every one of us, I suppose, Have understood, What it means, To have somebody, Stand, Alongside us,
[60:05] Is that not a picture, That is given to us, About Christ, Somebody, Who is an advocate, Somebody, Who is, The intercessor, Somebody, Who stands, Alongside us, When we are, Being challenged, In a court of law, But in the experience, Of the believer, God is saying to us, That he is a stronghold, In the day of trouble, Somebody, Who speaks of himself, As a place of safety, A safe haven, Where the persecuted, Can take refuge, Where those who are, Suffering from the storms, Of life, They can take refuge, And hide, You know, The picture that came, Into my mind is, When you are looking at, See in a winter, Afternoon, And there is a storm, And there is a wind, Blowing, And the rain is lashing down,
[61:06] And you are inside, And you are looking out, And you are seeing, Some poor person, Who is silent, At sea, Or maybe doing, Something outside, And you are saying to yourself, Well, I am glad, I am in here, I am glad, I am not getting wet, I am glad, I am not cold, I am glad, I am safe, And secure, Where the elements, Can't get to me, But is it not the case, That there is a refuge, In God, That is a spiritual refuge, And those who have, Enjoyed it, And who delight in it, When they see others, Going through, Experiences, That, They might themselves, Might understand, Experientially, And they would say to themselves, Or you would say to yourself, Oh, Is there not a refuge, For them, Is there not a place, Of safety,
[62:06] To which they can go, And the answer is, Yes, But what can you do, With somebody, Who knows, That there is a refuge, Or who is told, There is a refuge, And who won't use it, Who won't go there, The holy God, Who is infinitely, Removed from his people, By way of holiness, And by way of his, His, Divine attributes, That are incommunicable, Nevertheless, Came into close proximity, To all who are his, In the person of his son, Jesus Christ, And allows us, To avail ourselves, Of the promises, That mark him out, As our refuge, And our strength, We will never attain, To the spiritual, And moral plane, Upon which God, Perpetually resides, But he chose,
[63:08] To come down, To where we are, And the day, Of trouble, Which is not ever, Far away, From any one of us, He promises, To be a stronghold, Stronghold, Most especially, That is seen, In the gospel, Is it not, What trouble, Is greater, Than the trouble, That sin, Has exposed us to, And yet he invites us, To take refuge, In Christ, And so many, Chose not to, And choose not to, The third, And final thing, We have here, Very briefly, Is this, He knows, In that trust, In him, The knowledge of God, Is as we often, Say, A perfect knowledge, He knows, Everything, That there is, To be known, About all things, Nothing goes on, In this world, Without him, Being aware of him,
[64:09] Nothing goes on, In your life, Or my life, That he doesn't know, Outwardly, Or, In the depth, Of being, The thoughts, That we have, When you go to your bed, Tonight, There may be a problem, That is concerning you, And you're tossing, And you're turning, And you're alone, And you're afraid, And you're saying, How is this, Going to be resolved, In my life, Did you ever think, At that moment, That God, Was oblivious to you, Sometimes, We persuade ourselves, That very thing, But, He knows, Especially, The knowledge, That this speaks of, Is a knowledge, Of the divine, Electing God, Of his own people, The people, Of his own choice, He knows, Everyone as God, But he knows, His people, As their Lord, And their Redeemer, In the Old Testament,
[65:11] The words, You know, I was reminded, Of that, As I was preparing, I was reminding it, Of words, Which I often say, To you, That I heard, In prayer, From, The men, That I grew up with, And they would be, Stating these, Sentiments, In prayer, The Lord, The Lord, Knows, Them, That are His, The Lord, Knows, Them, That are His, And that is true, He knows them, With a knowledge, That is, Not just, You know, I think there's something, In the knowledge, That God has, Of, Has of his own, That is, So full, Of, Of compassion, You know, When you're looking, At somebody else's, Child, And that child,
[66:12] Is in difficulty, You have compassion, To that child, You have, A sense, Of that child's need, But it's nothing, Like the, The sense, That you have, Of that child's need, When that child, Is your own, Or when that child, Is someone, That you know, Personally, There's a, There's a, Power, In the intimacy, That is spoken of, In this statement, Jesus said, To his disciples, What?
[66:48] I am the good shepherd, He said, I know, My sheep, And to be, The subject, Of that, Divine, And saving, Knowledge, Is not something, That is trivial, It is not something, That is, Not worth, Remembering, Or considering, It's a, Wonderful privilege, The apostle, Paul, In, The second, Book of Timothy, He talks about, The relationship, That exists, Between, God's people, God's servants, And, What they, What they, Sometimes, Have to, Go through, But, He's not ever, So remote,
[67:49] From them, That what they are going through, Is not, His main concern, Nevertheless, The foundation, Of God, Standeth sure, Having this seal, The Lord, Knoweth them, That are his, And let everyone, That nameth the name, Of Christ, Depart from iniquity, But in a great house, There are not, Only vessels of gold, And of silver, But also of wood, And of earth, Some to honour, Some to dishonour, If a man, Therefore, Purge himself, From these, He shall be a vessel, And to honour, Sanctified, And meet, For the master's use, And prepared, And do every, Good work, And then, Begins that, Statement, Let everyone, Who knows the name, Of the Lord, Depart, From iniquity, He knows them, They know him, And by virtue,
[68:50] Of that knowledge, That is theirs, They behave accordingly, When we read these words, Of prophecy, When we read these words, That, You know, You notice, I'm sure, The concluding, Passage, Of the first chapter, Behold upon the mountains, The feet of him, That bringeth good tidings, That publisheth peace, Amazing, In the midst of a, A book, That is concerned, With desperate wickedness, In the world, And God's judgment, Upon that world, And those who are, In it, In the midst of it all, He brings words, Of comfort, And consolation, And he brings, The certain promise, Of a saviour,
[69:51] To a fallen, And a sinful world, God is good, God is, A God, Who is a, Refuge, In our troubles, God is a God, Who, Knows, The needs of those, Who, Have placed their trust in him, Are you one of them, Are you one of them, Would you not, Would you not, Would you be better, To be one of them, If you are not, God encourage you, To look to him, To us, As we sang, To begin with, The refuge, And the strength, Of his people, Let us pray, Oh Lord, Oh God, We give thanks, For the awesome, Nature of, Of your world, That brings us, Face to face, With the realities, Of who you are, To your people, What you mean to them, And what you, Are for them, In their time of need, And that even though,
[70:53] This world, As it is today, Lies in sin, With the understanding, Held, Dearly by some, That they are, As they are, And will continue to be, And no one, Will address their faults, And no one, Will prevent them, From being what they, Choose to be, How mistaken, Is their, Understanding, We pray Lord, For mercy, Thankful, That it is to our God, Of mercy, That we pray, Pour out your spirit, Upon us, Pardon us, Every transgression, Through Christ the Lord, Amen, Amen, Concluding Psalm, Psalm 62, Psalm 62, And we're singing, From verse 5 to 8, My soul, Wait thou with patience,
[71:55] Upon thy God alone, On him, On him dependeth all my hope, And expectation, He only my salvation is, And my strong rock is he, He only is my sure defense, I shall not move it be, In God my glory blessed is, And my salvation sure, In God the rock is of my strength, My refuge must secure, Ye people, Bless your confidence in him continually, Before him, Before him pour ye out your heart, God is of refuge high, These verses, Psalm 62, Verses 5 to 8, My soul, Wait thou with patience, Upon thy God alone, My soul, With patience, With patience, Upon thy God alone,
[72:57] On him dependeth all my hope, And expectation, He only my salvation, He only my salvation, Is not my strong property, He only my salvation, He only is my true defense, I shall not live thee, In God my glory blessed is,
[74:02] And my salvation sure, In God the rock is of my strength, My salvation, My salvation, God the rock is of my strength, And my salvation, He only my salvation, Be before him, Before him pour, The earth in your heart, God is the rest of your time,
[75:07] Amen. May grace, Mercy, And peace, From God the Father, And the Son, And the Holy Spirit, Rest and abide with you, All now and always, Amen.