Hope and love overcoming doubts and fears (Quality: Very good)

[0:00] In number 1097, 2 minutes and 2, 834. No refuge for sinners, the gospel maintenance, and the merits of Jesus alone, the weary, the tempted, and burdened by sin were never accepted from entering their room.

[0:24] This refuge for sinners, his love and order, in Jesus' name, from eternity's name. And if God the Spirit rebuild this heat, take refuge in thee.

[0:38] Thou help should pursue in number 1097. Thou might. Thou might. Thou might. Thou might. Thou might. passé Sam.

[0:48] Thou might. THE END THE END

[1:49] THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END

[2:51] THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END

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[9:37] Thank you. Thank you. And we look and we examine ourselves to see if we have that true hope which God's people have.

[9:54] And also whether we are one of his chosen people. These things try God's people greatly.

[10:08] They come into paths where they feel that they do not know anything.

[10:18] And they feel also that they have nothing to die on. Do you feel yourself as you have come into this house of God this afternoon?

[10:37] Have you a feeling in your heart? Am I one of these whom the Lord has saved?

[10:49] Or am I deceived? Am I deceived? If you feel like that, let us look if we can for a few minutes to see if you have anything upon which you can, as it were, cast out an anchor.

[11:17] However, I read in Genesis where Abraham came to that point to sacrifice his son, his only son.

[11:33] And he came willing in his heart to do this very thing. And he would have put it into action.

[11:46] Except the Lord had said to him, now I know. Can you go back to a time in your life where you, despite of all your feelings in the opposite direction, have turned from the ways of sin.

[12:14] And I have to say, by the power of God, although you may not feel so yourself, but the very desire in your heart is that you may know him and his salvation.

[12:32] But the Lord brings his people to places where he tests them and brings them to a spot and place, whereas, whereby, he says to them, two ways, and choose.

[13:05] You may say this is a strange way to approach this subject, but I do know this. However much I may walk in unbelief, that the Lord brings his people at one time or another, it may only be once in your life where you come to this spot where Abraham came to.

[13:36] When it was, as it were, the supreme test whether you will follow the Lord or whether you will go back and follow him no more, or whether you may turn into bypass meadows.

[14:01] You see, the Lord will have, and you know it as well as I do, I hope all of you here know this, that the Lord will have the whole heart, and the nearest and dearest to you whatsoever you have within your heart, and you will know it, that the Lord will, you will come to a point where the Lord will bring you to choose him.

[14:40] bring you to leave all of these other things. And how does he do it? He does it by the calls of love.

[14:55] You may become hardened in yourself under the law. You may come in your heart to be stout, rebel against him all the time you walk under the law.

[15:16] But let him, as it were, put forth even a trickle of his dying love into your soul.

[15:31] You will choose in a moment to follow him. Because if such the sweetness of the stream, what must the fountain be?

[15:46] Have you tasted of that stream? Have you tasted of the love of Christ within your soul?

[15:58] You may say to me, that is what I desire. But I cannot seem to get it. I cannot.

[16:09] I feel I come far short. I feel that the Lord has denied me this. Sometimes I sit down, as it were, in the darkness of my soul, in the darkness of my spirit, feeling that I've, all that I've done, I've searched for him in the scriptures.

[16:39] I've searched for him in the hymn book. I've searched for him in all the books by various writers, in the commentaries, and in the experiences of his saints.

[16:59] I've searched for him in all of these things. And with all my searching, I cannot find him.

[17:11] You're looking the wrong way. There's, it's right to do all these things. It's right to search the scriptures that you may find him.

[17:25] But are you looking for him outside of yourself? Because when you find him, you will find him within your own heart.

[17:42] And you may say to me, this is what I cannot understand. I try to reason it out. I try, I look at such scriptures as the 91st Psalm.

[17:56] I come. He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High. All of these things, I look at them and I examine them.

[18:07] But I still feel to be no nearer the secret. Now, do you pray? Do you pray to him?

[18:19] is there a feeling in your heart within your breast a feeling in the very depth of your heart to go out oh that I might know these things oh that I might know the reality of these things oh that I might know Christ oh that I might know his salvation oh that I might have a hope which a hope or a surety an understanding which will take me right through the world and take me home to heaven is that the sort of hope you want well that hope that sure hope which is as an anchor to the soul is to be found in Christ haven't you anything at all that you can look on in your case isn't there a single thing within that heart of yours hasn't there been a time when you hope the Lord or you hope if you cannot say it's of the Lord you hope that your case has been touched but immediately it seems to you that the very hope that you had the very expectation that you had it was but for a moment and then it seems as if it's all been swept away and you cannot find anything at all to look upon that is the path of a child of grace they come to spots and places where they spend many many years sometimes many hours watching and waiting and hoping many many hours feeling that they are not a child of grace but one moment and you will find this it will only be but as for a moment the Lord speaks into your heart and he speaks into your heart with love now that one moment and it can be it's only as I cannot get smaller than a moment when your eyes are opened and I'll tell you another thing when he speaks into your soul you will know it there is not a child of grace that has experienced the love of Christ within his soul and he doesn't know it not one every child of grace every one who has been predestinated from before the foundation of the world everyone knows in that moment the love of Christ even though as in Samuel they did not in the beginning know his voice but when he does speak and he may you may if I come

[22:20] into this I hadn't thought of coming into this in fact I didn't know what I would say having only as it were a few minutes with the text upon my mind just this something in me this something the impossibility of you being lost the impossibility of myself being lost if we have this hope which is as an anchor to the soul but oh the doubts and oh the fears oh the conflicts which go on within the soul the feelings of separation the feelings of darkness through which you pass through but these very only these moments this is what I want to get into if the Lord will help me this sacred moment when your whole life is changed completely through this one moment when Christ shines into your heart when you experience the love of Christ within the soul and this love when you experience it you will not be able to explain to any other person what it is like it's something that you found which is beyond all comprehension beyond all the words that you can utter you may look in the dictionary and you may search to find words which will amply illustrate this love of Christ but you will not it's an experience which is not to be found in this world no one who has experienced this will be able to describe to you the fullness of what it is like they can only hint at it they can only describe their feelings but even in so doing they feel they come far short in trying to tell you of this love but that love once it's experienced your heart will go out from time to time even although you may go as far as you can go even although you may go into paths of deep darkness even although you may have everything shattered as it were even although you may walk in a path you pray and pray and pray and you see those prayers come to nothing even although you have all of these things even although you walk in these paths that which you've experienced although covered it may be covered many times but let that be touched and you will know in a moment immediately and in the remembrance of it that love which you've experienced in your very soul's desire is that you may experience it again and so you will but there is this sacrifice which you must make this sacrifice

[26:20] of leaving everything to go out after Christ and I don't know if I've said it before in this place but I'll say it again if I have that this Christ which you go out after in love and you have to make this sacrifice and this sacrifice which you make is as tearing the flesh from the bones don't remember this that when Abraham I offered up Isaac he didn't know that the Lord would say to him now I know as far as he knew he would have to sacrifice his son and so will you if the Lord lays in your heart that you must make this sacrifice then he you will have to make it and even if this even comes here that if you have to leave husband or wife or children or parents whatever it may be then you must leave them for

[27:41] Christ's sake but this does not make you a bad husband or wife it makes you a better husband or wife because you seek to fulfill the commands of Jesus you seek to live as it were in this world in this real feeling and you don't want to put to shame the church of God so you walk in a humble way but you've got first to seek the kingdom of God you've got first to seek God now have you made a sacrifice now you haven't made it in your own power you do not make these sacrifices in your own strength because if you do they come to nothing if you make a sacrifice in and of yourself without the command of

[28:54] God you will find that when the feeling is gone when everything as it were disappears you will return to that thing again but I'm talking about a sacrifice made by you in obedience to the commands of God as he laid in your heart his command as he laid in your heart that which you must perform you know if he has or not and if he has laid that command into your heart then despite of everything in this life the nearest and dearest to you despite of all things then you must fulfill that command there's no getting away from this you may say to me in the day of his power yes it is in the day of his power but you see the day of his power is this he's laid it into your heart you know if when the

[30:23] Lord has laid something into your heart to follow him whatever it is I'm not on any particular thing I'm on what the Lord has laid into your heart and he may come to you at times and say as he did with Peter when Peter said I go a fishing in other words you lay down the exercise which you've got in your heart you lay it all down and you say I'll have nothing more to do with it and I will go a fishing I will return to my own ways and I will go into the wilderness have you ever experienced such a feeling as this that you've got something which you believe and I come here and you know the spot and you know the place where the

[31:28] Lord laid it into your heart you can go back to the very spot and place I know you've got all your unbelief in it I know that you've got all the feelings in your heart where you say you question whether this was of God or whether it's not of God but in that very moment when the Lord spoke right into your soul you know what it was he laid in your heart you know it and that's the sacrifice which you have to make and those of God's people who have walked this way and they know what it is to make this sacrifice and they know all the questionings they know all that goes on within their heart and there may be two walking the same exercise they may be as close as husband and wife they may be that close and they each walk their own exercise within it and not converse to one another in it they may not even know that the other has got any concern in it but they walk in their separate exercises before the

[32:57] Lord and they may even feel this in their very heart as they walk in these exercises that the other person doesn't know anything about it or if they do know anything about it then they're not interested in it but little do you know you might be praying for each other in it you might in secret before the Lord bear each other before the Lord at the throne of grace each separate each in their own sacrifice but each one coming together in points but you see the Lord will be first first in your affections and then when you come together in this you come to the praise of God you come and the fulfillment of the exercise you come to sing praise

[34:05] God from whom all blessings flow and if the one as it were a little further away than the other then that one will feel it keenly and it will cause within your heart a sinking earnestly at the throne of grace that he would grant you this blessing I don't know why I'm on this but this is how it is this is how it is when you have to make this sacrifice now I'm feeling my own soul in my own heart at this present time as I'm trying to preach to you now that there are those in this place in this house of God that have got an interesting these things that have experienced they hope the love of

[35:08] Christ within their soul but he's drawing them and he's drawing them by his love and he's speaking in their hearts follow me and that's how he does it he draws them with the cords of his love and you find that his love is irresistible whatever you may say however you may sit in the pew or when you go out of the house of your God you may say that wasn't for me that was for someone else but you can turn round by the following evening to know that it was God that was speaking to you it's not the minister you lose sight of the servant of God but you are placed in your heart before the Lord himself and if he speaks in your heart in your case and says follow me then you will follow him there will be no ifs or buts but if you're one that turns aside one that turns back and what is it a pillar of salt one that looks back you've got to look forward you've got to that hope which the

[36:41] Lord has placed within your heart and with that hope which he placed in your heart and placed the command in your heart at the same time that is the way in which you've got to go and you may make excuses you may say that's not me you may walk as I said in this unbelief and you may make unbelief as an excuse but unbelief is sin mark that point how often we cling to unbelief how often we say in our hearts I cannot believe but look at that man when Jesus spoke to him what did he say he said Lord

[37:42] I believe he believed mark that point and you will believe and then he cried out help thou mine unbelief and that is how it is with the child of grace Lord I believe I believe that thou didst lift me to a hope Lord I believe thou didst lay a promise in my soul Lord I believe thou didst lay a command in my heart help thou mine unbelief Lord help me despite of my unbelief help me to follow in the way in which thou wilt have me go you may say to me I don't know which way I got to go this is my very question if you haven't got the command of

[38:49] God in your heart and if that's not unbelief speaking in your soul mark that it's not unbelief is it unbelief speaking in your heart saying that I don't know the way which I should go is it unbelief have you had his command laid within your heart can you go back to that very spot where you can say you hope that the Lord laid that in your heart and then you come into a place and you say I don't know you may say I don't know but I can tell you this that that is unbelief that and you know excuses take all various forms you you you can make all manner of excuses before the Lord

[39:49] I know I've made hundreds of them I told the Lord many many times when I heard a gospel minister preach I've said you don't need me Lord you don't need one like me why you've got these servants an excuse within my heart and I knew it was an excuse I knew when I declared it before him the reason was it was unbelief I didn't want to go I didn't want to do these things I didn't want to follow in his ways just let me have a little peace and quietness in this life that's all I want just peace and quietness but that peace that quietness is a false peace and it's a false quietness where's the exercise of faith in your soul where's the very desires in your soul the very desires within your heart choose thou the way but still lead on have you do you find that sometimes you walk in a way where you say in your heart there's nothing in it at all there's nothing in my heart

[41:16] I don't even know I'm a child of grace and then with all the stout rebellion that you've got in your heart all the as it were the impossibilities in your case that one like you could ever be a child of grace with all these things but let him touch your soul let him touch your heart in a moment you will cry out in humility not false humility in humility out of the very desires of your heart choose thou the way but still lead on and this is how the Lord brings his people to follow him in whatever way he chooses for them he brings them by these soft secret touches within their heart brings them through fires through floods through flames whatever it may be in the powers which he brings them he draws them by this secret bond this secret love this love which they have felt in their heart now whenever

[42:47] Jesus comes whenever Jesus draws near you will find it to be exactly the same love as you've experienced in the first time you know it you who have experienced the love of Christ know this that this love is unchangeable it's impossible for this love to be any different from what it is this love is purity itself this love has no sin in it this love is supreme unselfishness this love is so great so immense that it fills all and in all within your heart and you know how repentance comes into your hearts you know how that you feel in your heart when he draws near and

[43:57] I can tell you this you may even experience this he's on the way do not be found in any false way when he's on the way you say you can experience the fact that the Lord is far off I tell you you can and you feel as it were in the very darkness of your case when you feel in a lost state when you feel that it's so impossible I have to keep using that word so impossible with me that I shall ever experience him again I have sinned it all away

[44:59] I have sinned away all expectation of him ever saving me but you just feel something you just feel a change you feel as it were a light you have a glimpse of a light I'm not talking about natural light I'm talking about the light within the soul and you feel within your heart an expectation you remember that one upon her bed at night my beloved put his hand I said I think it says in the hole of the door my heart moved and so will your heart move your heart will move in anticipation your heart your very desire within your heart will go out to him and you may feel my beloved is on the way you see when

[46:22] Christ draws near Christ does not breathe in this atmosphere of sin he does he comes when he comes he brings everything with him you see his purity undefiled lamb of God and if you have a face view of him this holy pure spotless lamb of God and see him as he is you will feel within your heart shame shame that one like you you've had the command of Lord God you've had the command of Jesus lovest thou me more than these it's there in the word of

[47:22] God lovest thou me more than these lovest thou me more than the greatest thing that you've got in this life lovest thou me more than this follow me and this is how it is and you when you walk in these paths you will feel shame shame that one like you having experienced the love of Christ in your heart and then to refuse him you will draw back at such places as this you will draw back within your soul one like me Lord one walking as

[48:23] I do before thee and you may say this make a way for me Lord make a way I'm willing Lord to walk in this way in which thou shalt choose for me but make a way for me you know when you come into these commands of the Lord I can tell you this when it comes to a point when you cease running away and you know what I mean when you run away from your exercise when you turn to meet it you remember how Jacob when he went out the

[49:23] Lord said to him return and he turned to face the trial now when you turn to face the trial when you become obedient to the Lord's command in your case you will find the conflict increase you have come to obey his command within your heart and you viewed it by faith faith brings distant things near faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen you've got it in your heart you've seen the end of it you know what the end is and you know one he was steadfast

[50:24] Jesus was steadfast to go up to Jerusalem and you by faith will be steadfast to walk in that path the path chosen by the Lord for you steadfastly by faith to follow him now the conflict the conflict will increase tenfold you see you ran away before and in this running away with all the feelings of your heart all the guilt within your soul you still ran away but now you have turned and the Lord can turn you in a moment he can turn you from the direction you are going and in a moment you turn to face the trial now do you know what that spot is in your case do you know the time when you came and you said

[51:26] I believe I believe and I will say this I will go a step further because the word believe in the Bible means I know I am sure in that very moment you know in your heart that that is the Lord's will for you but the moment you come out of it there is all this conflict now if unto Jesus thou art bound a crowd about him will be found a crowd of unbelieving fears and you will find unbelief though you remember I said at the outset help thou mine unbelief Lord I believe and you may cry out Lord I believe because you see the end you see the end of the trial and you are willing to follow him but you have got to walk by faith and this walking by faith is something which is a deep conflict a conflict of the soul but you have got an anchor and that anchor is you believe and the

[52:56] Lord you hope the Lord has laid the promise in your heart after that you have done the will of God you will receive the promise and so you will but it's the other side it's the other side of the command look at Abraham how he came to sacrifice his son now he didn't receive the promise until he got the other side of it nor will you you will not receive the promise what is the promise well done thou good and faithful servant are you going to be one that buries the talent in the earth are you going to be one at the end of the day you give that talent back to the Lord and say I buried it in the earth how

[53:58] I walked in that path how I felt in times when I came to fall before the Lord that I had been the one that buried the talent in the earth what is it burying in the talent in the earth it's this burying it deep within your heart that it will never come to pass and you don't want it to come to pass in your very heart your very case you say I don't want it to come to pass and the Lord overcomes a sinner like that one with a heart like that with his love and just whispers into your heart in that voice that blessed voice of his and you will awaken in the moment follow me by faith now when you come to that spot where you turn and the

[55:01] Lord in the day of his power it is the day of his power that he causes you to turn because he said to Jacob return didn't he and he may say to you in those words follow me and your heart goes out to follow him and you believe it will be performed now you will not receive anything else what you look for you may look for some great unfolding some great power come forth in your case but it's by faith that you walk I must leave it now because the time's gone amen I hear a hymn number 1088 tune is

[56:07] Tudor 252 shepherd divine our once really in this our evil day to all thy tempted I must give the power to trust and pray long as our fiery trials pass long as the cross we come oh let our souls on thee become in never ceasing prayer in number 1088 bye电 house partyuring iron from the hoch

[57:45] Amen One as a triumphant cross, One as a cross we bear, twin, Wo hopes of the bloom, In theしいed sky.

[58:27] CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS

[59:29] CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS O Lord, do not leave me to be deceived.

[60:19] O Lord, thou knowest how I walk in belief and unbelief, Lord, and I don't know where I am. And O Lord, I do pray for this people, that thou wilt bless them and go before them in all their untrodden steps, Lord.

[60:43] Make a way for them, Lord, where there is no way, and undertake for them, Lord. And pardon all that thy pure eyes have seen amiss since we've met together.

[61:00] And grant unto us each journey in mercies. Keep us each in safety, Lord. Watch over us. And be with us, Lord, that we meet together this night.

[61:15] Lord, I need thee. Thou knowest I do. Lord, do be with us. Lord, I've so little faith. Lord, how I shrink, Lord, from each service.

[61:31] But, Lord, I look to thee. I can look nowhere else. And now may the grace of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and the love of God the Father, and the sweet communion of the blessed Spirit, rest and abide with us each, now and forevermore.

[61:56] Amen. Amen. Amen.

[62:07] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.