The Lord's leading in our salvation (Quality: Average)

[0:00] Again, I would desire to draw your attention to the words you will find in the 14th chapter of Exodus, the 13th and 14th verses.

[0:15] And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will show you today.

[0:33] For the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more forever.

[0:45] The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. You will remember that we ventured upon these words this morning, and endeavored to show a little of how these words are applicable unto us in our own souls' experiences.

[1:12] While here, in these words before us, as some would term, the historical path of God's word.

[1:26] But all these things are for our learning and for our help. Christ himself spoke, did he not?

[1:39] Concerning those things that were witnessed, spoke by Moses and the prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning himself.

[1:52] So there is, counting beneath the word, those things that are made known unto us in our experiences.

[2:05] It is a mercy to have an experience. Experience in itself, I feel, is not altogether what we need, but experience coupled with the realities of God's word, and the revealings of the spirit, that in our experience, we are walking in that way that is appointed in God's word.

[2:41] A man might have an experience, but be a fleshly one. He might have an experience, and be proud of it, and flash it about as it were, before men, to be seen in a home.

[2:59] But the experience of God's word. But the experience of God's word. But the experience of God's people is an inward experience. That that is taught by the Holy Ghost in the soul.

[3:12] And oftentimes, those that have an inward experience, some would feel, perhaps, that they were almost done. May I just say here at this point, I'm not carried away too much with those who have much to say in religion, and seem to know so much that can put everyone else right in their experience.

[3:46] Now, I don't say with any bitterness. Just to set forth that there is a difference between an experience that God has given us in the heart.

[4:00] And this experience will humble us, and bring us into a place where we shall often be silent because, we want to know that it is an experience that God has given us, and not something that we have procured.

[4:28] Like it is said in the word, and though Solomon is too, by God himself, through the prophet, of those that are compassed about, by sparks of our own kiddling, these, he says, shall lie down in soul.

[4:50] That's what I mean by a false experience. But there is an experience that is taught in the soul by the walking of it out in trial and affliction and soul.

[5:07] Some might say, well, I haven't had so much as others. Therefore, I don't always feel quite so sure about my experience.

[5:20] Well, it isn't the quantity of trouble we have. May I say, don't ask God to give you trouble. He'll try his own work.

[5:30] Indeed, I felt in reading this evening when he said, God will come and prove the work of grace in the soul as to his genuineness.

[5:52] And where he'll do it and when he'll do it is known unto him. But a child of God is led to know it is his work and that he does.

[6:07] I bring these things to pass first and foremost that we may be brought to the knowledge of our souls as sinners before him as being totally unable to take one step toward him in our souls and also to teach us that he is omnipotent in power and in majesty and in him alone is that one that teaches us to profit and brings us into those places where we look and know those things by experience in the soul.

[7:09] These are our teachers. The teachers that God has said in his word shall not be removed into a corner anymore.

[7:22] Have you got one of these teachers, sir? I say there's something you've got now in your soul's experience that's teaching you. Is there some trial some affliction some sorrow not asking how great a one because you know little things to you may be great to me or vice versa.

[7:48] What I'm saying is have you something that is troubling you and that is a burden to you? Well, that is one of the teachers and if God should cause this teacher that you are at the moment under the tuition or to teach you your violence and your utter depravity before God and the same teacher that teaches you these things which is the Holy Spirit will, I believe, teach you too that there is a way of escape and a way whereby you may be delivered.

[8:42] Well, then Moses here exhorted the people as I endeavored to do feebly this morning to fear ye not and to stand still if there be such if at this plight fearing and know not what to do well, it's safer to stand still we might have one or two more thoughts it's safer to stand still if that's enabled than to endeavor to put things straight our souls indeed I believe God's people often stand still and I believe too that God's people are never able to make haste so then there are times too I believe when a child of God feels that he come behind all others well the apostle the great apostle of the church how he you see he felt at least and also his humility was known by those things he expressed even as he come before king of

[10:19] Gripal that he did under him declare the reason he was before him was because he declared none other things than those things he had been taught so there was a time with him when he had a stone stool and he had his fears and so there is I believe a time of God's people they are brought into this condition then I was saying these are they that shall see the salvation of the Lord and I was trying to speak a little of that salvation concerning those that are near it as many speak of the salvation of the soul very glibly many invent one way and another especially in this terrible day when in our lot is cast many gods are set up many false idols many false doctrines in our land but there is only one true way and it is the way of salvation through the cross of

[12:01] Jesus which is made known unto his people by the revealing of the Holy Spirit I am sure that there is no greater evangelist than the Holy Spirit I thought much upon this of late dear John Bunyan I don't know if I mentioned it if I bear with me dear John Bunyan in Bedford J Evangelist came to him you know the Holy Spirit oh what a mercy it is to know something this great evangelist who has pointed us to the cross of Jesus has shown us the way of salvation has opened up to us the only way to lead to the gate of heaven that we must enter in through the gate of regeneration through the mighty power of the

[13:17] Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who offered of himself a sacrifice that you and I might be delivered but the powers of hell all our enemies become against us mighty enemies just one without much mightier within do you know something these mighty enemies within center and those that would destroy unbelief that sin accursed the mighty enemy it was the cause of these same people of whom in reading their carcasses fell in the wilderness because of unbelief I know there's the unbelief of the reprimand but it will try you unbelief as to what unbelief yours is what of mercy it is if our unbelief that you and I are troubled with we look upon as an enemy enemy to you enemy to Christ and that you desire to see this enemy are put under his feet and that mistrust of ours you know it's not easy to trust is it but how we mistrust him though we know he is that one that had done so great things for us you see how soon these people here mistrusted him wasn't long you see after this great deliverance as I mentioned this morning that they came to have a water as a bar do you know this path said after perhaps

[15:27] God delivered us with some great deliverance delivered us out of trouble and trials and yet again we have come into that place where we have spoken unadvisedly and said many things wrongly against him may not be as we might have not realized it perhaps to the full but looking back we can see how our rebellious hearts replied against his dealing with us do you know if I may just speak of my show here for a moment when I look back to see those days of rebellion sometimes in a year or two of it with fairness as one could be surely God was strict to mark iniquity in us how should we stand surely it is under some of us as he says he framed by dear son since I speak against him

[16:40] I do earnestly remember it still these things when we look apart that they point to those in the world who received an everlasting and eternal salvation and redemption through the blood of Christ the lamb that was slain before the foundation of the world even as we think of Manasseh who caused the streets of Jerusalem to run with love he I say received a God hand forgiveness manse the sovereignty of God and his purposes over to me they become more deep more unfathomable while in those days there may have been many pious people many that mustered among men as being acceptable to God too deep isn't it to faith and yet there is that in our hearts that would ascribe all honour praise and glory unto God who hath every right to do with the clay as he seeth fit and not the pot of power of the clay to make one vessel to honour and another to dishonour does this surge you sinner well it surges

[18:22] God's people you know and I believe there will be those who will find it perhaps sometimes too searching and be like how they were in Christ's day to say this is a hard saying who can hear it and walk no more in these things very close but very solemn may you my dear friends as I yearn over my hearers here and elsewhere I can tell you that's true may I say strive to enter in the straight the straight the game and the way lead unto eternal life few there be the finder may I say lovingly too who sometimes these things seem to come extra close may you remember they're no closer to those things our dear

[19:35] Saviour spoke were here on earth are you willing for this poor seminary to be to suffer reproach for the name of Christ are we willing I say to you people to stand fast in these things that we may honour him who has committed these things into our charge may we say to any here and elsewhere if ought there dark appear bewail thy one saint though imperfection can be healed to all God's words and works around Moses said unto the people fear not stand still and see the salvation of the law which he shall show you today well I believe

[20:42] I mentioned when we came to these words this morning that we desire that there might be some poor sinner who should behold the salvation of the Lord today that they might be led into the blessedness of the pardon sin those sins which lay heavy upon you may seem to be come to your load that you know not how to bear them well there is a way open whereby you may come a new and living way a way opened up by Christ so that there is an open way under the Father through Christ may you be enabled poor tribe one to go into secret cry unto thy

[21:49] God that he may have mercy upon you as I said this morning you may be standing upon the brink of the fountain you stood a long while just on the brink of hell in your feelings but let's look a little beyond that you may be standing now on the brink of the fountain and you are longing to know something of its cleansing power longing to know something of that precious atonement which alone flows through the channel of his redeeming life well he in his love and mercy calls sinners unto him come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest and then he says unto another thy sins which are many are all forgiven thee and again

[22:56] I have loved thee with an everlasting love therefore with loving kindness have I to all me me what a mercy it is if you should hear that sinner by the operation of the spirit enter into thy soul you'll be able to go forth with Miriam in the dances of them that may be here you'll be able to extol and praise a precious Christ for all his many mercies toward you here you'll be able to enter into the sweetness of that precious dear dying lamb thy precious blood shall never lose its power till the whole ransomed church of God be saved to sin no more then this salvation is seen by those to whom is revealed well they saw it as they were delivered from their enemies so that there is a being delivered then from those enemies that come against you unbelief and many other things that will hinder your coming to

[24:25] Christ for the Egyptians whom ye see today ye shall see them no more again no more forever for some might say concerning these enemies within us we shall see them no more forever they are I say they are ever slaughtered and were slaughtered at the cross of Christ they indeed bear with the full overcoming of our enemies as

[25:33] Christ entered into that path of that redeeming world to deliver his people from their enemies so that those things that arise in our hearts now they arise from the old man of sin and they will trouble us but we shall find that these things will be enemies to us in the sense that they hinder us in our pilgrim's path I wish I could explain it more fully as I see it I don't want to leave any kind of doubt in anyone's mind what I'm trying to set forth but there are you see those enemies that are dead

[26:39] I'm not quite sure who quoted this but there was one who said his dead foes rose with awful force where you know as how he felt in his experience but those that are dead by the power of God they shall never and more have dominion over the soul there I believe is a true sense that they are dead but day by day we shall find that we have rising in our hearts these things which again I say emanate from the flesh and from the old man of sin so here we have the two natures made abundantly manifest the new man of grace who in

[27:43] Christ is perfect not the perfect man and behold the upright the end of that man is peace in that new man in Christ who we are to mark who is made perfect in him and the end of that man must and will be peace for the Egyptians whom he see have seen today he shall see them again no more forever well I believe that there's something more here just for a few more months which will be made abundantly manifest we hope and trust when we come to the end of our journey these many things that arise in our hearts when we are brought safely over the flood even through death there will be

[28:53] I believe there clearly seen that the Egyptians whom we have seen today may be even at our last day here on earth we shall see them no more forever one said similar to this the Canaanites still in the land to Harris perplexed his made brought Israel of old to a stand for Anak is stronger than that so you will have his warfare and it may go on to our end but there will be I believe even in that day we should see the salvation of God saving us from the power of sin the power of the grave for he our forerunner has swallowed up death in victory surely we can say here oh death where is thy sting oh grave where is thy victory the sting of death is sin the strength of sinners of all but blessed be

[30:12] God who giveth us the victory to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ your enemies to be seen no more than oh what a mercy it is to be delivered from all our enemies in that solemn hour when we come face to face with a death which must ultimately overtake each one of us none of us know how near how soon or how suddenly but to have our house put in order to have in our hearts those vital things which God himself can receive in and through the minutes of his dear son as they are accomplished in us by the free unmerited guilt of father son and holy ghost in all their love unto sinners sinners can say and only they how precious is the saviour how precious he is and getting more precious to some others the older we get more and more important to us yea we desired he may be our daily companion though we spent so many hours where of thought of him to know his dinner the altar there are times with us when our thoughts are carried on warm

[32:04] I hope it's been so little in the past week when taken up with time things which is why we should I mean our daily callings it may be or with some of us who have retired there are those things that are required of us that we do day by day but to be brought away from a few moments in a quiet moment to think upon Christ to think upon him and our latter end to ask him to be with us to be our pilot in his storm to be our pilot through the rest of life's stormy journey whether it be a few days months or years that he may be that pilot that will bring us safely out of the harbour you know how necessary this is isn't it our poor ship on the sea he never comes into the harbour without the pilot so the pilot goes out to meet this ship oh my dear friends what a mercy if you and I when we come near to the port that we have a place to behold the pilot as it were coming toward us

[33:39] I speak this rightly I hope and whether it may see him and there to welcome us into the pearly games to have in our hearts to a desire to to know more and more of his love in our hearts from day to day we may serve him better I don't know you find it the more I try to see seem to try to serve him the more I try to flee from those things I know are not according unto his word I don't mean going out into outward sin as some things my friends can be a great mountain to us even in welling sin and the things that transpire in our hearts well these things sometimes they lay weight on us and we fear lest we might be overcome in the midst of some fleshly ambition in the midst of something that he might come and cut us down so then we want to be in that place where when he comes he shall not find us sleeping or in a lukewarm condition that he may find us with our lamps trimmed and burning waiting to meet the bridegroom at his coming you know that there was fine wise and fine foolish they all slumbered and slept but you know though they all slumbered and slept at the voice of the bridegroom and his coming they all arose yes what a mercy to be among the wise isn't it to have the oil of his grace in our vessels that is in our souls with our length of profession that we may be found ready to go out and meet the bridegroom some of us wonder how near that time is when he will come seems as though the world is ripe and important when we see the world today if I may drag away a little here and it is not how I express my thoughts on these points we see the condition of the world today then love is of pleasure more than of God love of many is waxing cold and tumult and all over the world and also in our doing bits vice and wickedness you know is rampant around us

[36:54] I mean and so there are these things absorbed and yet our God is long suffering great in compassion and he lengthens out to us a few poor sinners our privileges he does indeed may we prize them sinner I say may we prize them lest they might be taken from us you know the wheels of iniquity are moving very rapidly and I wouldn't be appalled from that but I say they're moving very rapidly and we sometimes fear if the time is not very near enough when we may not be able to worship here as we do this day we only need to observe these things to see that what I say is perfectly true it behoves us to be well awake through these points and also that you with one soul may pray unto

[38:12] God that he may stem the tithe of iniquity that he may save us too from the clouds of war that hang over us at this time is that evident that he needs but a spark to start these things going by your arm we lie upon him who I say the Lord shall fight to you and he shall hold your peace thus may you and I have been able to look unto him who fighted the battles of his people and who has in days past in very dark ages fought the battles of God's people it was so in the reformation he fought the battles of his people and brought about another different state of affairs but it was through much trial and tribulation and even bloodshed that these things come oh my friends our liberties being at stage we know not what we might have to do for the sake of the generations to come that they might enjoy even those things which we may have taken for us

[39:41] I only speak these things as I see them God alone knows the issue but he says here the Lord shall fight for you and he shall hold your peace so that he will fight for his people individually he will indeed that we are not to go out to vindicate our cause I have been rather inclined for this and days past to try and vindicate my cause but God in his love and mercy enables us to commit our way unto the Lord and he will fight for you he will indeed go to his servants and his people who come to hear his servants who desire the welfare of Zion and who desire to uphold the precious doctrines of you and I love and appreciate and which have been handed down to us through the word by the by the disciples by

[40:58] Jesus Christ and the disciples and also by all those of God and appointed through time to deliver them to the people these are I say those things that alone can stand they will stand and they shall overthrow all your enemies and mine they will come and we hold we shall find that last enemy and destroy and be delivered from those things which have seemed so that overthrow us but have been delivered because God in soul even the Lord has poured our battles he has indeed and in this we have no glory to our soul but we would desire to give him all honor praise and glory as due unto him for if he won the battles surely there's no praise to ours yeah it is he alone that delivers and he that hath delivered and doth deliver we trust he will get to deliver amen