He is able (Quality: Vey Good)

[0:00] I ask you to turn to the second epistle of Paul to Timothy, chapter 1, I'll read verse 12.

[0:13] 12th verse in the first chapter, in the second epistle of Paul to Timothy. For the which cause I also suffer these things.

[0:30] Nevertheless, I am not ashamed. For I know whom I have believed. And I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

[1:00] It would seem that there were two things that were personally in the forefront of the apostle's mind as he wrote.

[1:15] First of all, the fact that he was a sufferer, a prisoner, bound with a chain.

[1:25] Not enjoying the liberty that he had in former years. And not enjoying the liberty that many of his believers and friends and fellow preachers in the gospel were currently enjoying.

[1:41] And the second personal feature that coloured his writing was the conviction that he would soon die.

[1:54] He wrote then as a prisoner. And he wrote as a man conscious that he must shortly stand before his maker.

[2:09] That his work was almost done. But there is no trace of any kind of defeatism in this last letter that he wrote.

[2:26] No trace of regret. That he was a prisoner. That he hadn't long to live.

[2:38] But here there comes through the ringing tones of conviction. And of assurance. And of comfort. That all was well.

[2:53] That God's plan and purpose was on course. That the work that God had commanded his church to engage in was being accomplished.

[3:09] Though there were many enemies. And sad to say some defectors. From the cause of Christ. And nevertheless.

[3:21] The Lord's work was going on. And he could write this. One of his last and probably the last of his letters too.

[3:32] This young man whom he loved so dearly. True son in the faith. Timothy. To which.

[3:44] Or in which he. Reminded him. Of the faithfulness of the Lord in the past. Exhorted him. To stir up the gift of God that was in him.

[3:59] And to do battle with the. Timidity and fearfulness of spirit. That he might sometimes have been the subject of. Not to be ashamed. Not to be ashamed.

[4:09] Of the testimony of our Lord. Nor of. Paul himself. The Lord's prisoner. And he wrote to persuade him of the certainty.

[4:21] Of those things. In which they both. Believed. Now. Hmm. I want to.

[4:33] Underline one word. In this proverbs. Particularly. It is the word. I will. He is.

[4:45] I will. To keep that. Which I have committed unto him. Against. That day. Hmm. This is a theme which has been with me over recent days.

[5:00] Hmm. The ability of God. And I have looked at the. Various.

[5:12] Scriptures. Which. Use this word to describe. This characteristic of our God. Our God is. Able. And in looking at.

[5:27] Those. Texts. There that speak of the. Ability of God. I discovered that some of them. Were verses. From which I had. Attempted.

[5:38] To speak here. In the past. First. There's that wonderful verse in Hebrews. He is able. To save. Unto the uttermost.

[5:51] All. Them. That come unto God. By him. Well. Here. Here's another. Of these. Glorious.

[6:02] Verses. Which describe. The fact that our. God. Is. Able. This word. Able. Means.

[6:14] Powerful. Mighty. Strong. Now all of us. Are reminded.

[6:25] Are reminded. In one way or another. Of our weakness. Paul for instance. Was. Constantly reminded of his weakness.

[6:36] Because of his chain. He was bound. To a. Roman soldier. As well as other aspects of his weakness.

[6:48] Such as. The thorn in his flesh. The messenger of Satan. To buffet him. Through which. In his. Strong.

[6:59] Timothy. Likewise. Had. Reminders. Of his own weakness. He too. Had some kind of physical. Infirmity. For which you will remember.

[7:11] That he was once. Exhorted. To drink a little wine. For his. Stomach's sake. Also. I judge. He had. A spiritual weakness.

[7:24] Flaw. In his character. And many. Of the lost people. Have that. Which. Caused him sometimes. To stand back. And to step back.

[7:35] When. He should have. Step forward. And boldly declared. His position. As a believer. In and servant of. The Lord Jesus Christ.

[7:48] Have you got. A weakness. It might be. That we have. In different ways. Physical. Weaknesses.

[8:02] Reminders. Of our mortality. Evidences. That. Our bodies. Are. Not perfect.

[8:12] Are. Not as. Uh. Strong. As they. Once were. Reminders that. Our bodies. Are being. Uh. By these processes.

[8:22] Weakened. And. Ultimately. Will be brought down. You. Have you. Have you. Got spiritual. Weaknesses too. That seems.

[8:33] As a flaw. In your. Spiritual. Character. It may be. A weakness. Like Timothy's. Of.

[8:43] Fearfulness. Uh. Of. Uh. Not always. Standing. With. With. The Lord's. People. Not always.

[8:54] Standing. Up. For. The Lord's. Cause. Sometimes. Being. Silent. When you should. Speak. Sometimes. Speaking.

[9:05] When you better. Have been silent. Yes. Now. We should have. Our own weaknesses. If God is teaching us.

[9:15] And the spirit is. Is with us. And. Those weaknesses. Will. Will bring us many times. Uh. To ask. For the Lord's mercy. To ask for the Lord's forgiveness.

[9:28] To ask for the Lord's help. Well. It's. It is. Good for us in our. Weaknesses. Then. To be. Reminded. Of the strength.

[9:39] Of our God. Uh. That our God. Is able. And the theme. Uh. Here. In this verse.

[9:50] Is that our God. Is. Able. To keep. Now. This word. Keep. It's a word.

[10:01] That comes. From the language. Of the military. Uh. It is. The word. Used. To. Guard. And.

[10:13] The figure here. Is. Of. One. Who is. On guard. One. Who is. Guarding. His people.

[10:26] Some of us. Who. Know military service. Perhaps. Being. Guards. I can remember. Spending. Time.

[10:37] On guard. In a sentry box. And feeling. Quite useless. Wondering. Whatever. I would do.

[10:48] If. Uh. Subject. To. Attack. Back. But our guard. Is not useless. Like that. He is not a weak.

[10:59] And incompetent. And incapable. Defender. Of his people. No. He is able. Strong. Mighty. To guard. And.

[11:10] Uh. To. Protect them. And that is the theme. Of this verse. Uh. It is surely. A truth. That was of great comfort. To Paul.

[11:21] He had a guard there. The representative. Of. Uh. The imperial. Palace. Of Rome. But there was another guard. No one saw.

[11:32] Who had mortal eyes. But Paul saw. Who had the eye of faith. And he knew. That this other guard. Uh. And at this chain. And all the.

[11:43] Uh. All the. Attendant. Aspects. Of the. The power of Rome. Into whom. Or into which Paul.

[11:53] Had. Had fallen. Were subject to. The greater guards. And a greater power. The power. Of God. And this truth.

[12:06] That comforted his heart. In Rome. Paul wanted to be. A comfort. To the heart. Of Timothy. Of Timothy. As well. That he should know.

[12:16] That he had a guard. One that was always. Watching over him. To keep him. And. To protect him. And that that guard.

[12:28] Was. None. Other than. The Lord. Jesus Christ. Christ. Hmm. So. We will try. Simply to.

[12:40] Go through. The language of this verse. With this in mind. Here. It is a. A text of comfort. Here is a text of assurance.

[12:51] Here is a text. Of strength. For all those. Who feel their weakness. And. Who trust.

[13:02] In the Lord. And Savior. Jesus Christ. Now Paul. Begins. By referring to. His sufferings.

[13:15] Sufferings. In. A particular. Cause. It is the cause. Of the gospel. It is the cause.

[13:27] Of our saviour. Jesus Christ. And it is the cause. Of the church. Of God. Of the cause.

[13:39] In which. He suffered. Now there is no more. Glorious. Cause. Than this. But what is linked up.

[13:54] In Paul's thoughts. At this point. Is. The fact that he was. A preacher. And an apostle. And a teacher. These three.

[14:07] Callings. He had received. Of the Lord. To preach. To teach. And to do the work. Of an apostle. To make disciples. Amongst.

[14:19] The nations. To testify. To the risen. Lord. But. Mixed. And mingled.

[14:29] With his work. As a preacher. As an apostle. And as a teacher. Was the calling. To be a sufferer. Called.

[14:40] To suffer. To suffer. Now. I can imagine. That perhaps. Some of us. If. We were. We thought. That we were called.

[14:51] To suffer. Would. Perhaps. Draw back. From that. If we were. To think. Of the. The.

[15:03] Calling. Of. All the Lord's people. To. Life. Of obedience. To their. Lord Jesus Christ. In these terms. Some might say.

[15:14] But I. Don't want that. That isn't what I've got in mind. That's not how I. See things. Well of course.

[15:25] We don't see things like that. But we need to. We. Need to be. Brought to see. That.

[15:36] Mixed. With. All the. The joy. The privilege. The blessing. Of. Serving the Lord Jesus Christ. Their well be.

[15:46] In one way or another. Suffering. So we are. Called. To. Suffer. Now it's well for us to.

[16:00] Just pause a moment. And reflect on that. That sufferings. Do not come by chance. Sufferings do not come by. Accident. Now you're looking back on a.

[16:12] A course that has resulted in suffering. And say what if I'd only been. Wiser. If I'd only have avoided that. I wouldn't have suffered like this. Called.

[16:23] To suffer. Puts a different light on it doesn't it. That this is. Part of. The outworking. Of God's will. Mixed. With.

[16:34] Other aspects. Of. Serving him. Is. Suffering. Remember that word. That so describes.

[16:45] The Lord Jesus Christ. In such. Apparently strange. But profound words. Wherefore. Learned he. Obedience.

[16:56] By the things. That he suffered. They were there. Though it's presumptuous of man. To make any comment.

[17:07] Upon the. The sufferings of the Lord Jesus. Isn't it. But nevertheless. The scriptures. So. Present the. The sufferings of the Lord Jesus.

[17:18] As an essential. Integral part. Of the path appointed for him. By which he. Learned obedience. And.

[17:31] It's only. It was so for Paul. And Timothy. And all. Those called to serve the Lord. They're called to suffer. But suffering in this.

[17:45] Wonderful cause. This glorious cause. The cause of the gospel. The cause. Of the saviour. Jesus Christ. The cause.

[17:58] Of the church. Of God. Sufferings then. For the cause of the gospel. Clearly.

[18:09] Anyone who is. Familiar with the history. Of God's church. Through the ages. Will be aware. Of the extent. To which.

[18:20] Christians. Have suffered. If you read. The. Acts of the apostles.

[18:32] And the. The new testament. There. You will find. A suffering. Church. Afflicted. Persecuted. Opposed. And in some cases.

[18:43] A martyred. Church. Church. If you read through. The books. History of the church. In days. Since then. Different parts of the world.

[18:55] In places like Italy. And France. And the United Kingdom. And other places too. Where there has been. Planted.

[19:06] The church of God. Where there has been. Suffering. Oh. Scenes of the most. Bitter.

[19:17] Bloodshed. Were witnessed. In Italy. Once you know. In Italy. There was a. Thriving. And a prosperous. Protestant. Church. Church. But amidst.

[19:30] Awful scenes. Of butchering. The people. Men. Women. And children. That belonged. To that church. Were killed. In France too.

[19:41] There was a. Thriving. And a. A prosperous. Church. Of Jesus Christ. That was cruelly. Slaughtered. Amid scenes.

[19:52] Of horror. Our own country. Has witnessed. Also. The martyrdom. Of many. Who. Held. The faith.

[20:03] Of Christ. Firm. Why. Why. Has the church. Suffered like this. Because it's part. Of the divine calling.

[20:17] It's suffering. In a noble. Cause. You know. If we. We believe. Strongly enough. In a particular cause. We would suffer.

[20:30] In that cause. We believe. Strongly enough. In the cause. Of the gospel. That it. Alone. Is the truth.

[20:40] It is alone. Brings a knowledge. Of salvation. And a knowledge. Of the saviour. That all others. Are deceived. Then. For that reason.

[20:51] People have stood. And been. Willing to suffer. And counted it. An honour. To suffer. In the cause. Of the gospel. So do.

[21:03] If we. Truly love. The Lord Jesus Christ. Is there. Any. Pathway. That we would. Refuse. To walk in.

[21:15] That he. Calls us. Walk. Should we say. I'm not going to go that way. Lord. I don't like that. Not prepared.

[21:25] To meet with the. The shame. And the humiliation. That I would be involved in. If I ever walked in that path. What sort of love is that then?

[21:38] That picks and chooses. That. Mounts up and. Goes higher than the Lord himself. But.

[21:49] We might be prone to do that. With regard to this. Path of suffering. If left to ourselves. He shows. To his people. His.

[22:00] Hands. And his feet. He shows to them. His sufferings. Shall we not try. Bear this in mind.

[22:12] When we meet at the Lord's table. Shortly. Here. Are the. The emblems. Of our Lord's. Sufferings. The broken body.

[22:24] And the cup. We remember. The. Length. To which he went. In suffering. To redeem.

[22:35] His people. And shall we refuse. To go a little way. With him. Suffering. In the cause.

[22:47] Of our Lord and Savior. Jesus Christ. Christ. And suffering. For. His. Church. Paul had. Such a. Great love. To his people.

[23:00] And there was a sense. Truly. In which he was there. In Rome. Because of his love. To the churches. He had. Such a. Great love. To Timothy. That he would have suffered.

[23:13] The chain. The imprisonment. And the martyrdom. For Timothy's sake. And for the sake of others. Whom. He.

[23:24] So greatly loved. For the which cause. I also. Suffer. These things. Paul had suffered.

[23:38] Tremendous. Humiliation. Haven't he? He was a. Well known man. A leader. Amongst the saints. Of the Pharisee. Well respected.

[23:50] Everywhere. And he lost. All that. And he became this.

[24:02] Solitary. Lonely. Humiliated figure. Far away. From. His loved ones.

[24:14] In Rome. He lost all his. Self respect. All the. Acclaim. That he formerly had. Amongst men. Lost it all. But he says.

[24:27] Nevertheless. I. Am not ashamed. Naturally speaking. Humiliation. Leads to shame.

[24:38] Suffering. Leads to a lost face. Suffering. May cause us. Sometimes to fear. That we should never be able. To lift up our. Heads again. But.

[24:50] Wasn't so. Suffering. In. A true. Cause. Need never. Lead. To shame. Suffering in a.

[25:01] Wrong cause. If we do. Do evil. And suffer for it. Well. We might be ashamed. If we break God's word. And. Suffer the consequences.

[25:13] Well. Shame becomes us. But. I know. I'm not ashamed. Suffering in this cause. Why should he be.

[25:24] Why should anyone be ashamed. Of Jesus. And ashamed of. Of suffering. In. Such a cause. And in such a.

[25:35] Dear name. As the name. Of the Lord and Savior. You. Now let's just pause for a moment. To. To remind ourselves of this.

[25:46] Theme of this verse. Able to keep. Do you not see. That this. Is. Being worked out. He was.

[25:57] Able. To keep him. In sufferings. And those sufferings. Were intense. There was. Physical. Roughness.

[26:09] To be endured. There was. Mental. Humiliation. To be endured. There were. The daring crowds. To be endured.

[26:22] But there was one. Who was. Able to keep him. And he did. He was kept. Kept by the. Power. Of God.

[26:35] Also. Able to keep him. From. Being. Ashamed. Those that may have. A more. Timid and.

[26:46] Fearful and. Reticent nature. Than others. May know what it is. To. To be ashamed. Feel a sense of. Unwillingness.

[26:57] To profess. The name of Jesus. Before his enemies. There's one. Who is able to keep.

[27:09] And to any of you. Who may have that. That inner. Qualm. And that. That. Timidity. Fear. The fear that you. Would be ashamed. Of Jesus Christ.

[27:21] In certain circumstances. If. Or face to face. With. Hostile people. And. Those who would be. Only to. Glad to mock. And jeer at you.

[27:32] No. As one who is. Able to keep. Even you. Timid as you may be. Weak. As you are. Frightened.

[27:43] As you feel. Able to keep you. You know. If you read. Those accounts. Of. The martyrs. Lots of them. Were.

[27:55] In this category. Naturally. They were. Timid people. Some were. Little more than. Girls. Who were.

[28:06] Abused. Roughly treated. Tormented. And. Yet. They were. Capped. By this one. Who is. Able to keep.

[28:18] Almighty. Powerful. To keep. For I know.

[28:28] Whom. I have. Believed. This was Paul's. Comfort. In. His imprisonment. Then. I know. Whom.

[28:38] I have. Believed. Not. What. I have. Believed. Paul knew. That as well. He was. Well versed. In the truths. Of the gospel.

[28:50] Well able. To give. An account. For the reason. For the hope. That was in him. But here. I know. Whom.

[29:01] I have. Believed. My faith. Centres. In a person. And that person. Is Jesus. Christ. I know him. I haven't followed.

[29:13] Cunningly devised. Fables. I haven't come. As a false apostle. I know. Personally. My savior.

[29:26] I know. Whom. I believe. A comfort. Then in suffering. A comfort. Then in prison.

[29:37] The knowledge. Of the savior. Can we. Echo Paul's words. Can we say this morning.

[29:47] I know. Whom. I believe. I believe. How do we know. Jesus. Well.

[29:59] To try and answer that question. We have to use words. To describe. Certain things. Which take place. One word. That we use.

[30:09] To describe. Is. The word. Revelation. Jesus Christ. Is known. By. Revelation. That is. That. He.

[30:22] Reveals. Himself. To his people. No man. By. Searching. Can find out. God. We find. Him.

[30:32] Through searching. But not. As. An inevitable. Result. Of. Our. Activity. We know.

[30:42] Jesus Christ. By. Revelation. He makes. Himself. Known. Through. His words. Through the preaching. Of the gospel. Or in some other.

[30:53] Way. That he. Sovereignly. Chooses. To come. Jesus. Ever come. Into your life. Showed himself.

[31:04] To you. As a person. A man. A real man. One who suffered. On the cross. At Calvary.

[31:15] One who was buried. In the. The grave. Of. Of Joseph. One who rose. In triumph. From the grave. And one who. Was seen. On the.

[31:25] The first. Part of the. Ascent. That took him. To heaven. This man. I know him.

[31:36] Says Paul. Know him as a friend. I know him as a savior. I know him as my redeemer. I know him as the one.

[31:47] Who suffered for me. Who suffered. In my place. Jesus. I know. Whom I believed. So there's.

[31:57] This word we use. Revelation. Let's not use it wrongly. Let's not think of. Of something. Implied in that word. That isn't necessarily there.

[32:10] It means the. The only. Powerfully. Through. A variety of different means. And. Showing himself. To our faith.

[32:22] Revelation. He's known. Another word we use. He's known. By. Faith. I've seen him.

[32:33] Naturally. We haven't had. Some. Remarkable. Vision. Of. Christ. We see. By. Faith. We walk. By faith.

[32:43] We live. By faith. So. Jesus. Reveals himself. To. Our. Faith. By which.

[32:54] We. We believe in him. Just as surely. And. Certainly. As if we had seen him. We know he exists. Just as. Emphatically.

[33:05] As if we had. Ridden in the boat. With him. On the lake. Or gathered around him. Whilst he preached. And. And told his parables. He has come.

[33:17] As a real. Person. And. Our faith. Has understood. And. And. Believed that he is. A person. I know whom I believed.

[33:32] Thirdly. Through the. Scripture records. Scriptures hold. A very important place. In the purposes of God.

[33:43] For. Through the scriptures. There is made known. The person of the saviour. I know him. Yeah. Because I read about him. In the gospels. I read about him.

[33:55] In prophecy. Long before that. I know. Whom I believed. If there were. Set before me. An array. Of. Supposed saviours.

[34:06] And gods. If all the religions of the world. Were paraded before me. I would know the one. I know the person. The only person. The only saviour. The Lord.

[34:18] Jesus Christ. And so. If you were. God forbid that it should ever be. But if you were subject to. A series of discourses.

[34:29] Week after week. Only one of which. That consisted of. The true preaching. Of the gospel. And all the others. Were counterfeit. Or other gods.

[34:41] Or other systems. You'd know. You'd know the one. That was right. Yeah. Because. It is the one. That reveals. The person. Of the Lord. Jesus Christ. As the only saviour.

[34:52] A friend. And beloved. Of your soul. I know. I know. Whom I believe. I think we could say. Paul doesn't actually say it. In so many words.

[35:03] But. We could say it by inference. I know. Whom I believe. But he's here. He's here with me. He hasn't failed me. Wherever I've gone. In his name. Travelling.

[35:13] Far and wide. Here in the preaching. Of the gospel. He has been with me. And he's with me here. In Rome. I know. Whom I believe. And am persuaded.

[35:27] That he is able to keep. I am persuaded. Persuasion. I think means.

[35:38] Brought to. A conclusion. Not. Formerly. Held. I am persuaded. I wouldn't have.

[35:48] Said this once upon a time. Paul might say. Didn't always believe this. But I do now. I am persuaded. I am brought to this persuasion.

[36:01] To this conviction. And. What has brought. Paul to this persuasion. Would you think. Well one of the factors.

[36:12] That has certainly brought. Paul to this persuasion. Is the fact that he proved. This to be the case. In his life. It proved. The ability of.

[36:23] God to keep him. Through. The many. Timots. And shipwrecks. And stonings. And imprisonments.

[36:34] And persecutions. That he had. Hitherto come. I am persuaded. He is able to keep. There are some things. That we learn. By experience.

[36:45] We prove. The law. To be true. At the beginning. When we set out. We. We might. Hold in faith. That this is true.

[36:55] But we. We haven't got the. The personal. Knowledge of it. Now because we have not. Been brought into a position. Where. We have. Needed the law. To. To work for us. In this way. But now.

[37:06] Paul had. He was an old man. And he had come. To this persuasion. In his own experience. He could say.

[37:17] Hitherto. If the Lord. Help me. And kept me. He proved. The faithfulness. Of the Lord. Through. All the days. Of his life. I am persuaded.

[37:30] Oh my dear friends. Those of you. That are older. Are you persuaded. Of this. Have you come. To this persuasion. Here because. This is the way. The Lord has.

[37:40] Led you. Because you have proved. In your own life. That he has kept you. In this present moment. But then.

[37:54] He was persuaded. By the. Being reminded. By God's spirit. Of God's own. Of God's own. Faithful words.

[38:06] I think that needs. To be said. Because. I don't want. To give the impression. That. One's own. Personal experience. Is the ultimate. Standard.

[38:17] By which everything. Has to be judged. God's own. The experience. The experience. That we have. That we have. As God leads us. And teaches us. Will always be consistent.

[38:28] With his own covenant promise. And I'm sure. And I'm sure. This. The two had. Resulted in the persuasion. Of heart and mind. That Paul is here speaking about.

[38:38] All. That he proved. Was. In consistency. With the covenant promises. Of God. God has said. This is how it would be. And he'd been reminded.

[38:50] There through his life. Of the faithfulness of God. God. I am all. To keep that. Which I have committed. Unto him.

[39:05] I believe that here. In these words. We may understand. Paul is referring to. His all. His body.

[39:16] His soul. His life. His death. His eternal destiny. He committed it all. Unto him. Have you done that?

[39:30] Committed everything. You've got. Into the hands of your savior. Your body. With his weaknesses. And frailties. Your soul.

[39:41] With desperate need. Of salvation. Your death. Whenever it comes. Whether sooner or later. Suddenly or in a protracted way. Your eternal destiny.

[39:55] You've committed it all. Unto him. You've perhaps widened it out. To embrace. All our affairs.

[40:06] Our family. Our possessions. Our lives. Those whom we love. In the gospel. I've committed them all. Unto him.

[40:18] I've persuaded. That he is. Able to keep that. Which I've committed. Unto him. Paul. As we've seen. Was a weak. A dying man. When.

[40:30] Paul died. That wouldn't be the end. Of the church of God. That wouldn't be the end. Of the purposes of God. They're going to go on. The church is going to grow. The kingdom of the Lord.

[40:41] Is going to increase. Of the gut. The government. Is still. Upon the shoulder. Of Paul's laws. But he's committed it all. Into his hands. You committed your soul.

[40:54] Into the hand of Jesus Christ. That is a definite act. That people take. They take it in faith. They take it in.

[41:06] Trusting in the Lord. But they do. Make this act of. Committing. Themselves. Into the hand of the Lord. Remember the Old Testament word.

[41:17] In the Psalms. Commit thy way. Unto the Lord. Trust also in him. And he shall bring it to pass. Oh have you committed your soul.

[41:27] Into the hand of God. If you haven't my friend. Then your soul is in grave. Danger. Because you can't keep it yourself. You can't save it yourself. There's no man on earth. Can keep and save your soul.

[41:39] And your soul is in danger. Of sinking. Unless it's in the hand. Of the Lord Jesus Christ. And there it's safe. I will guard it. Yes. What a wonderful truth that is.

[41:52] He guards the faithful sentry. The souls. That are committed to his. Charge. And friends. If you haven't committed your soul. To the Lord Jesus Christ.

[42:04] Will you do it now? If you are truly concerned about your soul. If you are in need of a saviour. If you know your own weakness and vileness.

[42:15] Oh then I exhort you. Now to commit your way unto the Lord. I don't live another day. In this vain and fruitless and empty way.

[42:29] Of vaguely hoping all be well at the end. Oh he that trusts in his own heart. The scripture assures us.

[42:40] Is a fool. Don't be that fool. Commit my way unto the Lord. Is your soul a spotted soul? Is it a sinful soul?

[42:51] Or the Lord will take it nevertheless. And do you know they're the only ones he will take. Oh he doesn't take holy souls.

[43:02] He takes unholy ones. He doesn't take clean ones. He takes unclean ones. And he makes them clean. And he saves them. And he cleanses them.

[43:13] And he purifies them. And he clothes them. And he will present them one day faultless. Before his father's throne. Oh he's able to keep that.

[43:23] Which I've committed unto him. Oh commit your soul unto him. Commit your body unto him too. Do you know when the Lord Jesus.

[43:35] Completed that work of redemption. He redeemed his people. Body and soul. Our bodies are his. Not our own.

[43:48] Oh commit your body unto him. We've got a weak body. Frailed body. An afflicted body. I'll commit it unto him. He'll guard it.

[43:59] He'll keep it from harm. And if weakness. If disease. Should invade your body. It comes under the watchful eye.

[44:11] Of your God. And he won't let it do anything. Contrary to his own will. And all must accomplish his own purpose. There's another one of these wonderful words.

[44:24] That speak of the ability of our Lord and Savior. It's found I think in Philippians 3. He is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

[44:35] Oh that's a wonderful enlarging view of the ability of our God. All things. Affliction. Persecution.

[44:46] Imprisonment. Death. Suffering. All things. They are subdued unto himself. They are set in array under himself. He there is the great supervisor. The great overseer.

[44:58] The ruler. And he will use these things. Only. To accomplish his own purpose. He's able to pay that. Which I've committed unto him.

[45:11] And lastly. Against that day. Everything that Paul has said. Is as it were said in the light of that day.

[45:21] We ought to lead our lives. In the light of that day.

[45:35] The day that is coming. Paul refers to it again in verse 18. When speaking to loving terms of Onesiphorus.

[45:46] The Lord grant unto him. That he may find mercy of the Lord. In that day. That sums it all up. Doesn't it? What greater blessing could we seek for anyone.

[45:58] Than this. That they may find mercy of the Lord. In that day. That day of resurrection. That day of judgment. That day when all. That will be.

[46:09] All the assembled. Human race. Will be gathered before God. Oh to find. Mercy in that day. That's what it's all about friends. Isn't it? That's what. Coming to chapel.

[46:19] Is all about. That's what. Becoming a Christian. Is all about. That's what. Believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. Is all about. Bold. Shall I stand. In that great day.

[46:32] And who ought. To my charge. Shall I. Oh we need. Constantly. To live in the light. Of that day. Some. Are living only.

[46:44] In the light. Of the presence. The Pharisees. Oh they lived. For to die. They wanted to. Receive greetings. In the marketplace. They wanted a good name.

[46:55] They wanted everyone. To think. What a good man he is. When they had their rewards. But a Christian. Lives in the light. Of another day. Oh he must be.

[47:06] No I think of a Spurgeon. Who said when he died. He was content. To be. Eaten of dogs. For the next hundred years. But his eye was on. The die. The die.

[47:19] And so will ours. Have to be. Fixed on. The die. We may be eaten of dogs. We may be rejected of men. We may be cast out. Never mind.

[47:31] The die will declare it. And all that Paul speaks of here. Is against that die. The die is coming.

[47:43] You know. On human levels. People take out. Insurances. Don't they. Against. That die. The rainy die. That may come. The die of disaster.

[47:54] That may come. The die of ruin. That may affect them. And. A lot of. People. Do things. Against. That die. But they do nothing against. That die.

[48:05] The die of judgements. They're not concerned. As to how they will. Stand then. Oh. May for your concern. And mine. To be ready. Against that die.

[48:16] And these. Dear souls. Are ready. Against that die. Who have committed. Everything unto him. He will come. And there's a sense.

[48:27] In which he will. He will. They will come with him. He will come. And ten thousand. Of his saints. With him. He will come. And. Many of them. Will come with him. From heaven.

[48:37] Therefore. Their spirits. The spirits. Of just men. Made perfect. Have been there. They will come. As their bodies. Are raised up. From the earth.

[48:47] And. They meet him. In the clouds. They come. As they are. Translated. As they are changed. In the twinkling. Of an eye. At the last trunk. They are with him. There. At that die.

[48:59] Will you be there. Amongst that number. That die. In a sense. My friends. Nothing. That happens. In the interval. Really matters.

[49:11] Provided. You are there. On that. Persecution. Doesn't matter. Affliction. Doesn't matter. Death. Doesn't matter. If you are there.

[49:23] That die. And Paul. Had this confidence. That he would be. A persuasion. That the Lord. Will keep it. Against that die.

[49:34] Oh my friends. Is that where. Our souls are. Can we say today. That's where our souls are. The Lord has got them. And he's keeping them.

[49:45] Against that die. I hope we can. I hope we're not trusting to ourselves. I hope we're not so foolish. As to suppose. That we can come.

[49:56] That day of rain. In righteousness of our own. For if we are. We shall be solemnly awakened. To see. How foolish we are. And we shall hear. His solemn words.

[50:07] Of rejection. If we commit our souls. Unto him. Against that die. All will be well. You need have no fear.

[50:18] No qualms. Because he is able. Strong. Mighty. To keep. To keep that. That I have committed. Unto him. Against that.

[50:28] Let me close. If I can. Just find it. With another word. On the same. Theme. And. Which ends. In. A glorious note.

[50:39] The last. Couple of verses. In the. In the. In the. In the. In the. In the. Now. Unto him. That is. Able. To keep you. From falling. And to present you.

[50:51] Hopeless. Before the presence of his glory. With exceeding joy. For the only wise God. Our saviour. Be glory. And majesty.

[51:01] Dominion. And power. Both now. And ever. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[51:12] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Let's close this morning service by sending hymn 772.

[51:24] Christ is the keeper of his saints. He guards them by his power. Subdues their numerous complaints in every gloomy hour. 772.

[51:34] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[51:44] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[52:48] Amen. Amen.

[53:48] Amen. Amen.

[54:20] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[54:38] By the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the communion of God the Holy Ghost be with us all.

[54:52] Amen.