Psalm

[0:00] Let them foresee the flowing from wrong and divine.

[0:14] Yet while they the promise are in, the strength of thy grace they shall be.

[0:31] That prayer at my soul, soon adльST, their strong love for my Savior, Amen.

[1:12] With the Lord's help, I wish to draw your attention to the 28th verse in the psalm that was read to us, the 105th psalm, in verse 28, He sent darkness and made it dark. He sent darkness and made it dark, and they rebelled not against His work.

[1:42] This history refers, at this particular point, to the judgments that God meted out to the Egyptians prior to the liberation of His people from that iron bondage in which they dwelt for 430 years until it pleased God, according to the promise given to the fathers, to raise up a deliverer and make a way of deliverance that Pharaoh and the Egyptians at length were made willing to let the people go.

[2:28] We appreciate it was to the advantage of the Egyptians to have the Israelites to serve them, to be slaves unto them.

[2:43] And the initial attempts or approaches of Moses and Aaron to Pharaoh seems to have the opposite effect upon the minds and hearts of the Egyptians.

[3:02] Rather than initially appear willing to let the people go, they manifest a strong reluctance and rejection of the proposition.

[3:18] And they increase the rigor in the making of bricks which was imposed upon the Israelites. So that the Israelites initially, as they cry to God for deliverance, seem to be called upon to endure even heavier burdens than formerly.

[3:42] My friends, let us take comfort in that fact of history. Although while we cry for deliverance, we may feelingly go deeper into trouble.

[3:59] Yet, at length, the Lord did deliver His people according to their cry. And the initial circumstance didn't indicate the final purpose of God.

[4:15] The final purpose of God was that Pharaoh should be made willing to let the people go.

[4:27] Well, in the imposition of judgment upon Pharaoh and upon Israel, is this ninth plague among the ten plagues that God brought to bear upon the Egyptians.

[4:52] And the ninth plague is the plague of darkness that descended upon the host of the Egyptians. And it's a very remarkable history in the 10th chapter of Exodus and at verse 21.

[5:15] I'll read these few verses to verse 23. And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt.

[5:33] And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven, and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days. They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days.

[5:50] But all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings. And it's a most wonderful fact that God, who knew every Israelite and every Egyptian, drew a line between them.

[6:11] And every Egyptian was immobilized by thick darkness. But every Israelite had light in his dwelling. Now you would say that's a wonderful distinction between the Egyptians and the Israelites.

[6:27] And surely projected spiritually, that indicates a wonderful division that exists between a man of God and a man of the world. That the man of God has light in his dwelling, and the man of the world has darkness upon him.

[6:43] Now that's very true. But my friends, some of these scriptural narratives, these histories, create a very deep exercise in the hearts of the Lord's people from time to time.

[6:56] Recently I can't tell you what this history has meant to me. Because I've been in darkness. And the scripture says, darkness was upon Egypt, but light was upon all the dwellings of Israel.

[7:13] And you say, well, am I an Egyptian then? It seems scriptural reasoning, doesn't it? The enemy comes in like a flood, and he says, look, you're in the wrong camp.

[7:24] You're in the wrong state. You're in darkness. A darkness which can be felt. A thick darkness. There seems no light anywhere. You must be an Egyptian.

[7:34] But my friends, those interpretations are comfortless interpretations.

[7:46] And in due season, we prove, I trust, from whence they proceed, even from him who is a liar from the beginning, the father of lies, and would destroy every vestige or ground of comfort in the experiences of the Lord's dear people.

[8:05] It's not all light. It's not always light in the camp of Israel.

[8:19] My friends, there are seasons of darkness. And when the Lord makes it dark, it is dark. It is dark. And this is the foundation of our meditation as one would apply the principle more broadly to the exercise and experience of the godly.

[8:54] Darkness in Scripture symbolizes two conditions. The first condition is a spiritually dead, lost, benighted state which belongs to us all judicially and naturally.

[9:26] as we're born, we're born in spiritual darkness. And my friends, it is the mercy of this world and the mercy especially of the human race that God hasn't allowed us all to continue in that state of spiritual darkness to destruction.

[9:52] because that is the just desert of mankind. And every vestige of spiritual light that is present in the world indicates the free favour of God in Christ Jesus toward the children of men.

[10:18] and especially personally if we know what the light is that is the spiritual light to penetrate our darkness we have a blessing that is great indeed precious indeed and of everlasting consequence.

[10:53] In the beginning when man fell the Lord sent darkness and he made it dark and he made it dark and my friends, any with a spiritual understanding must acknowledge that the nations of the earth labour under spiritual darkness.

[11:16] We talk about the darkness of the heathen lands and we think often times of the African and Asian peoples who have not received the blessing of the gospel as we ourselves in this favoured country wherein we were born.

[11:41] But my friends, sad to say that the withdrawing of the light of the gospel in recent time is evidencing an increase of the fruits of darkness in our nation that is giving to those who have a concern about these things a progressive burden he sent darkness and made it dark he sent darkness and made it dark and when the Lord sends darkness it is dark it is dark and nothing short of divine power can relieve the darkness and I believe there is a real signification in the positioning in creation of the luminaries that is

[13:01] God's placed the sun in the heavens he's placed the moon in the heavens he's placed the stars in the heavens so that for light the world is dependent upon the heavens and my friends there's a spiritual voice in that to you and to me that if we're to know light spiritually we depend upon the heavens for that light to be communicated to our souls oh what a wonderful thing it is when the Lord gives us light spiritual light sends forth his spirit as the spirit of light to penetrate our darkness and to bring us into the light of the knowledge of the glory of God as it is revealed in the face of

[14:03] Jesus Christ well he sent darkness he sent darkness upon the human race and it is dark and my friends it's dark in us and it's dark in the world around us when we're left to ourselves and that darkness can only be relieved by divine interposition what a mercy if the Lord has sent his spirit to you and to me to relieve us darkness of our darkness the darkness wherein we were born he sent darkness and made it dark no argument no influence no scripture reading no gospel preaching no religious argument can penetrate that darkness which is upon the hearts of men it's the holy spirit and no can relieve that case what a wonder is every instance of that deliverance from darkness seeing the

[15:44] Lord made it dark in that initial judgment that was meted out to man lawfully when man was banished from God's presence in just condemnation of his sin his disobedience of the divine command well he sent darkness and made it dark but into that darkness the Lord has sent forth his spirit and his word not the word in the letter of it but the word enforced by the spirit of grace illuminates the heart mind and understanding of men and women and children before chosen of God partakers of eternal life and as sure as he sent the darkness and made it dark so in due time he sends forth the light of the truth of the gospel and that darkness gives place to light spiritual understanding of God's will and way of saving sinners and sinners of the deepest dark my friends there's no darkness that is in the heart and mind of man that can withstand the light of the truth of the gospel no more than the darkness enshrouding the universe in those hours before the dawn breaks can withstand the breaking of the dawn when the new season of God arrives he sent darkness and made it dark and that darkness is a prevailing darkness until the light of the truth of the gospel changes the sea it's a personal deliverance and it's the interposition of God in a personal way that relieves the dark minds and hearts of men from that darkness which would unrelieved precipitate their destruction in ignorance and unbelief forever well he sent darkness and made it dark we bow to the

[18:58] Lord we have no quarrel against the situation and the sentence because it's it harmonises consistently with the character of God God is intrinsically holy he's just he has a right to command he has a right to punish all transgression of the command which he has given my friends the ruin of man under the fall in no way indicates injustice in God God is just in man's condemnation but he maintains that justice bless his holy name by the way and means he has appointed to man's salvation well he sent darkness and made it dark now the scripture is very clear that it is not the will of

[20:10] God that man should continue through the days of regeneration the subsequent pathway of experience between regeneration and eventual glorification on the high point of consistent light and warmth and pleasure they that know no changes fear not God my friends there are night seasons as well as day seasons of experience and when the Lord sends darkness it is dark and my friends I believe he sends these seasons of darkness that we shall realize more our absolute dependence upon himself or every vestige of light that we possess and there is a description in the scripture which has exercised my mind very much concerning those that have light and it's self-procured and self-maintained light which they have it's not light in the sufficient indication of light as I have attempted to present it that it can penetrate the darkness and deliver the soul they kindle a fire and they walk in the light of the sparks of the fire that they have killed it seems that there's just a little here and just a little there that kind of maintains them in a sort of profession but my friends it's not the

[22:14] Lord making it dark and then being held in darkness until the Lord comes and relieves that darkness do what you will you can't get out of the darkness if the Lord makes it dark it is dark and that darkness holds you like as in a prison house until the Lord comes and immediately the Lord comes you you're relieved immediately the Lord comes you're relieved but you can't get relief until the Lord comes now I believe my friends that is the experience of the children of God the Lord sends darkness and it's dark and when it's dark it's dark you say well read the Bible it's a mercy if you've got an inclination to do so I've been so dark of late that to have an inclination to look into the scripture as being something that seems beyond the limit of my fingers to lay hold on and talk about pray you say well you may say your prayers but you'd give a thousand pounds to have a breath of prayer the Lord sends darkness and it is dark my friends spiritual things are beyond us and if your spiritual things are not beyond you there's something wrong with your religion salvation if you're if you can generate things in your own heart there's something false about it you've got to realize that salvation is of the

[24:00] Lord and of the Lord alone is salvation salvation he sent darkness and it is dark now Job had it he looked backward he looked forward he looked on the right hand and he looked on the left and he couldn't find God he couldn't find his God because the Lord had sent darkness and it was dark it was dark but Job didn't end his days like that did he and there's not a child of God that will because the Lord set one thing over against the other and I do believe this I believe it with all my heart because of the experience of it that there is a connection between the depth of the darkness and the height of the deliverance and when the Lord makes it a darkness that can be felt now this is what came to Egypt a darkness that could be felt it wasn't a superficial cloud that came between the Egyptians and the sun was it that hid the sun from my friends it was a darkness that could be felt now do you know what that is a darkness that can be felt you can't get away from it can you it affects you everywhere it renders you as immobile as this darkness that God sent to

[25:44] Egypt rendered the Egyptians but oh when the Lord makes us glad according to the days wherein he has afflicted us then my friends how sweet the light how glorious the deliverance how precious is that sun of righteousness when he arises with healing in his wings how you rejoice in the deliverance which he brings the warmth and comfort of that sun as it shines graciously afresh upon the soul and seems to bring into reviving all that was hidden all that was lost all that was obscured by the great darkness that seems to envelop everything past present and future he sent darkness and made it dark and made it dark and the

[27:03] Lord is as perfect in all his works and all his ways on both sides of the consideration now in closing this evening do you know what the darkness is do you know what the light is do you know what it is to come through a season wherein there seems nothing but darkness is everywhere the psalmist has it I think it's in the 104th psalm he hideth his face and we are troubled troubled but it's not always like that is it it's not always like that he doesn't always hide his face he will shine again and blessed be his name as in nature so in grace weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning when the

[28:29] Lord's time of deliverance comes joy comes as sure as the morning breaks and if there should be any here tonight that are in darkness and the Lord has made it dark so that you feel wherever you turn there's questionings and reasons of misgiving and fears and temptations I say my dear friend hope on hope on when the Lord's time comes for your deliverance he will deliver you you say but I seem beyond deliverance I've never been as dark as this before I've never known such darkness to be felt that's now for my spirit well there's not a darkness but what the Lord can relieve it he did in due season in Egypt didn't he must have been to the great relief of the

[29:33] Egyptians when that plague was relieved but my friends it is with the experiences of the Lord's people that in due season the Lord shines again the Lord renews his former failures the Lord comes in the night of the truth of the gospel enforced by the power of the Holy Spirit and there is that refreshing again from the sweet presence of a precious Lord well he sent darkness and made it dark let me reiterate this and I'll sit down all spiritual light that enters into the heart of man is an indication of God's purpose at length to bring that soul into the unending light of his immediate presence and blood there'll be no darkness in heaven there'll be no days of darkness unharmed but my friends for our good and all things shall work together for good for our good it pleases

[31:03] God to set things over against one another in our wilderness pilgrimage and make us appreciate our dependency upon the spirit for all light in our hearts and upon our pathways nevertheless as the Lord brings us into the sweet experience of the inshinings of his precious face so they are indications of his will that we shall dwell in the light of his precious countenance in glory forever amen home oder that we go to house Treaty us l to me

[32:03] The closing theme, Selma Bridgeman, 26. The closing theme, Selma Bridgeman, 26.

[32:41] The closing theme, Selma Bridgeman, 26.

[33:11] The closing theme, Selma Bridgeman, 26.

[33:41] How can she bless me so long? How can she bless me so long?

[33:51] How can she bless me so long? Joy that she's the days returned Till my cross to his heart see Till my end, my life is gone The world I am gone Is it the days of the night?

[34:31] This world will not save me The beauty тебя Cher PHROS that we play for to delay subscribe to the moral работает in me.

[34:53] For the waters of his rain shine into the name again.

[35:13] Lord, hear that prayer in our closing hymn maintained to us that precious light which warms and comforts and illuminates our minds and spirits and lead us on to that perfect day, that day without clouds, that day that place where thou art the light thereof and they have no need of the light of the sun.

[35:45] Forgive all that has been amiss and hear our prayer and undertake for us. Grant us thy blessing as we go forward. May the grace of the Lord Jesus, the love of God, communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all, now and forever.

[36:06] Amen. Amen. andी by...

[36:27] ٹ ak