Psalms. Quality: Very good

[0:00] Depending again upon the Lord's help, I would again direct you to Psalm 22, reading the first two verses. The first two verses of Psalm number 22.

[0:21] My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not, and in the night season, and am not silent.

[0:54] My dear friends, these are solemn words. They are deep words. And my dear friends, if the Lord is working in your heart, there will be those times when you will have to walk in these pathways.

[1:29] And I'll tell you why, that you might have fellowship with him in his sufferings.

[1:43] My dear friends, it is not an easy path to the flesh. If we are going to partake of his sufferings in any measure, if we are going to have a cross to carry, it will not be easy to the flesh.

[2:09] But I can tell you this, that it will be a blessed pathway, as you are enabled to venture and take up your cross, looking unto Jesus. For he knows this path. We opened up with it a solemn hymn.

[2:38] On the sufferings of Christ. How he was despised, rejected, and hated. But my friends, it made no difference.

[2:58] The Lord Jesus still walked in that path here below. Oh, the love of Christ to his dear people, that that he should suffer, bleed, and die. That wretched sinners might be saved from the pit of destruction.

[3:29] Do you know anything of these beauties? They are wonderful things. You might say, be very tempted. You might, the devil might be roaring at you and say, well, you don't know nothing about these things, or you wouldn't be in the pathway you are now. For the Lord's forsaken you.

[4:05] My friends, the devil is a liar. Jesus was forsaken of his dear Father. You think of that, my friends.

[4:20] Jesus and the Father were one. They were from all eternity. But Jesus came into this experience, the Lord was forsaken, not only by man, and his own dear people. They all forsook him and fled.

[4:51] We know Peter boldly drew the sword and cut off one of the servant's ear. But the Lord rebuked him, and he healed that man's ear. You see, my dear friends, these things had to be. The Lord Jesus willingly willingly walked in them to redeem his dear people. But when the Lord Jesus was taken to the judgment hall, and nailed upon the cross, all men forsook him. No man interposed for him. No man spoke up for him. The whole world rejected him. Such was the agonies that the Lord Jesus had to walk in.

[6:04] The whole world not to make a way from the Lord. But the dear Father also hid his face, because he could not look upon sin. You may say, but Jesus never sinned. Jesus never did sin.

[6:32] He never thought a wrong word but my dear friends it was the sins of his dear people that the father looked at they were laid upon Jesus and so he could not look at his dear son forsaken my God my God why hast thou forsaken me now my dear friend you may be in this pathway now feeling forsaken well my dear friend I can tell you this that if the Lord has begun his work in your heart and he's dealing with you he's brought you into this path and I'll tell you why that you might have some fellowship with him in his sufferings yes true real fellowship and these paths are deep paths paths that the flesh doesn't like but the Lord comes and he so deals with a poor sinner he brings him he makes him bow at the footstool of mercy he makes him willing he makes him willing to suffer to take up his cross he brings him near to Jesus where are you now today in your troubles in your afflictions in your forsaken condition when you feel the Lord shuts out your cries you shout you may be like the psalmist you crying in the daytime and in the night season you are not silent this may be you is it you or can you be silent and seek no more after his face no you say I feel forsaken

[9:20] I feel he has left me he has not come to me he hasn't opened a door he shut the door ah my friend you have to be brought to the Lord's feet and know no will but his and you have to lean wholly upon him and he won't forsake you my friends and I know these pathways are very very mysterious I remember some years ago if I might just mention this experience that I came into it may be of some use to one of you here

[10:21] I know not but some years ago I felt that I should take a path a step in providence I felt that there was an exercise upon my heart and I felt at the time the Lord had put it there and I pursued after it and I left my job and I thought if this is right the Lord will appear but my dear friend he brought all my schemes to nothing he showed me that it was all the flesh it wasn't a true exercise and I was a fortnight out of work daily looking up to the Lord that he would open a way and I felt he would but he never did and in my desperation

[11:48] I felt that I would have to arise and seek some employment and I went to one or two places and it seemed that the Lord he dashed some to pieces and then one was permitted to open and it was only a temporary measure for twelve months but all the teaching there was in it and in that twelve months but it ought my dear friends if the Lord is with you and me these things will be very heavy and weighty and you will fear to touch things yourself lest you should make a mistake lest you should be deceived so my dear friend look unto the Lord seek his direction use the means prayerfully yes we are to use the means well my friends my God my God why hast thou forsaken me these words

[13:28] I don't seem to be able to get much past them it's such a reality it's such a reality but my friends he does not forsake you you may feel he has but he will not all the times my dear friends his servants have come into a pulpit not knowing what they will say and some have even come without even a text even a text ah but the Lord appears in a time of need you might say but my need is ready I need him now our time is ever ready friends but the Lord has a set time and what we think is the right time is not always the right time we are not quite in that right condition to receive the Lord's blessing we perhaps are not lying prostrate on the ground before him this is where the Lord brings his people to lie prostrate before him they know no will but his

[15:05] Lord help me undertake for me I cannot do anything but my dear friends we have a precious Christ that we can go to and take these things for he has walked this pathway here below oh my friends the life of Jesus upon this earth it was full of good he preached the word and when Jesus preached the word my dear friends that was in power he is not like poor servants of today and all days that very often feel there is no power I know the Lord is the judge he knows when the power is there for he is the power but my friends you know what I mean when Jesus preached he was the power there was power in the ministry he went about doing good he blessed he rebuked he healed he healed ah he cast out devils my friend all things work together for good to them that love him you might say well I can't see it now you will see it my dear friend later on the Lord doesn't always permit us to see what he is doing with us at the time it is afterwards very often that we see his hand and see what he has done what he has taught us and he has said in his word thou shalt remember all the way

[17:29] I have led thee these forty years through the wilderness thou shalt remember and so it is my dear friends we shall remember we shall praise him you say what for bringing me in this deep distress distress yes yes I know you will if the Lord is teaching and leading you I have been there myself in deep pathways in the past as I can well remember those pathways that he brought me to walk in bitter pathways but I can look back and I can praise God for it because he was with me ah you say but that's the difference now in my case and your case

[18:31] I cannot feel he's with me now my dear friend when I walked in that path I couldn't feel he was there but I was brought to those various places when he did appear when he helped me when he broke down my stubborn heart it's sweet my friends sometimes to look back and see the way the Lord deals with us and leads us and sometimes my dear friends he brings us in these paths to lead us into the sufferings of Christ that we might have our old nature broken down our hard hearts melted that we might feel something of the sufferings of Christ that he endured oh my friends if the Lord shows this to your poor soul your sins will be hateful to you you'll hate yourself you'll grieve over yourself the way you have treated him we don't deserve his blessing we don't deserve his touches his helps but he is a blessed dear loving

[20:13] Jesus the Redeemer his people he does not afflict you willingly he does not bring us into these pathways in wrath not to his dear people it is in love that he brings us into these pathways you say how can this be well my dear friend you'll prove if you wait upon him and watch his hands he'll reveal himself to you as sure as Jesus is the Redeemer do you read of a case in the Holy Scriptures where he's he sent his people disciples or any other of his dear peoples on an errand or on a business or on a voyage and then he brought them into storms did he forsake them do you read he forsook them and never appeared for them and never helped them ah you may cry and shout now and fairly shutteth out your prayer prayer there is a crying and a shouting unto the Lord my mind went to that king you may be crying with a lamentable voice unto the Lord the Lord in your trouble in your affliction and there was a king who did this

[22:12] I don't know that he was a godly king I don't think he was but he cried with a lamentable voice when he cast Daniel into the lion's den and left him there all night him with those lions but he couldn't go home and sleep and rest he was in sore trouble and very early in the morning he came to Daniel and he cried with a lamentable voice Daniel Daniel is thy God able to deliver thee oh my friends and you remember oh how he he praised God my God my God is able to deliver me he did deliver him from the very mouth of the lions lions not one lion many lions and remember this my dear friends those lions were very hungry very ravenous very vicious but they could not touch Daniel the Lord's eye was upon him you may be in a pathway you might say well man has been permitted to touch my pathway ah but think of this the Lord's eye is upon you he may have something else in store for you the Lord opens the doors and he shuts the doors for his people in providence and in spirit it requires much faith and patience to watch and see his hand but commit thy way unto the Lord and he shall bring it to pass these are mysterious pathways the pathways that the Lord leads his people in many I fear today know little of these solemn deep pathways for they are very solemn but if the Lord is in them my dear friend the day will come when you will praise and bless his holy name that he ever led you in it oh then still pray on don't turn back you say I can't

[25:38] I can't give up no my dear friend when if you have that blessed faith the Lord has given you like Job had when he said though he slay me yet will I trust in him that's real living faith and the Lord's people are brought into these experiences experiences here and there even in these days they have to come right there trusting him though he slay me ah and you'll sometimes feel you deserve all such are your sins such are my sins they stand as a mountain before us at times and we don't deserve his rich mercy but my dear friends he doth not reward us according to our sins oh the mercy the mercy that he shows oh think of it then my friends of the pathway that Jesus came into forsaken my God my God why hast thou forsaken me why art thou so far from helping me and from the words of my roaring you see David was walking this out he felt the Lord was so far off he was crying unto the Lord but the Lord wasn't appearing but it didn't mean the Lord's eye wasn't upon him the Lord had a set time to deal with David's case and he had a set time my dear friend to deal with your case and my case there's a blessed verse that came to my mind a little while ago it's this a time he has set to heal up your woes the season most fit his love to disclose until he is ready to show his good will be patient and steady and wait on him still oh my friends if the Lord enables you and I to do this you will not wait in vain he has a set time a set time you see he didn't deliver Daniel from going into the pit of lions he could have done but he permitted Daniel to go into the pit of lions but he didn't forsake him you see this is the thing with the Lord's people as soon as they come into these deep troubles

[29:25] Satan is there he tries he tempts and he says all manner of things to show that you're wrong that we're wrong in our experience that we don't know anything of Christ that we've no grace but my friends it's the Lord is in these things when he brings his people into these paths it's to teach us it's to teach us he brought Daniel into that path permitted him to go into the lions den but look at his love and mercy to Daniel he stood by him every moment that he was in that lions den those lions couldn't touch him no they couldn't touch him nor could the devil and the fire the fiery furnace touch the three Hebrews as they were cast into the fire the Lord didn't prevent them from going in the fire but he was with them in it so my dear friend if you are in the fires now and the waters and you feel that you are now forsaken and these words are the echo of your heart my God my God my God why hast thou forsaken me my dear friend still look to him still look to him see if you can see his hand and feel his hand with you in it now ah you say but he shuts out my prayer my cry well can you give up hope there in God for I shall yet praise him there's faith the psalmist was brought there hope there in God he spoke this this was this was all went on in his own heart how is it with you and I hope there in God there in God. What? Now he's forsaken me. Yes hope there in him. No hope anywhere else is there? How is it with a dying soul my dear friend? When they are brought to their dying hour, hope there in God. Hope there in God.

[32:26] There is no other way my friend. However black, however rough the pathway may be, however impossible it may seem to be. Is anything too hard for me?

[32:42] The Lord says. Is there anything impossible for him? No, he can do all things. So will wait thou upon him. Sink or swim. You say, what do you mean by that? Sink or swim? Well well my dear friends, sometimes the Lord brings you in a pathway and it is to be the means of taking you to himself. That makes no difference my friends. That doesn't mean to say your hope's in vain. What can be better for the child of God to be taken away from this world, to be forever with himself. I know in our natural minds we can't face these things but when grace is given, you say, what do you say? Then my dear friends, what more do we want? The love of Christ is what we want. It's his presence that we want to feel in our hearts, is it not? And what's better if you've had a taste of it? Have found anything else that's better? You say no. Then my dear friends there is nothing better than to be taken to be forever with him. Oh may the Lord deal mercifully with us each and prepare us each to stand before his face.

[34:41] And may sanctify to each the pathway that we each walk in. However deep, mysterious or painful it may be. He makes no mistakes. What he does is all for the best.

[35:08] May the Lord mercifully bless that which has been of him. For his name's sake. Amen.