2 Timothy (Quality: Average)

[0:00] I want to take your attention to 2 Timothy 4, verse 2. The second of Timothy, chapter 4, verse 2.

[0:20] The instant in season, out of season. The instant in season, out of season.

[0:41] I would again attempt to bring these words before you, as I have nothing else to bring.

[0:55] And the word of God is not found. And we often feel shut up and dried up and empty, but the Lord's word is called.

[1:09] Then may they please drop it up to us and shine forth in his blessed word.

[1:20] And may they have this word to be instant in season, out of season.

[1:35] And we read that wonderful account of Elijah. We had there a vivid account of the dear man of God, of being out of season.

[1:58] And that dear prophet, he was specially favoured of God.

[2:09] And he, the Lord, as you know, heard and answered his prayer. He sent fire down from heaven to consume the sacrifice.

[2:30] And previously, all the prophets of God. And previously, all the prophets of Baal had thought that it was their God, that he would send fire down.

[2:49] Well, of course, he proved, the prophets of Baal proved, that their God didn't exist.

[3:07] He didn't hear them. He didn't answer them. He never acted. He didn't answer them. What is the use of a God who is not able to appear for us, to help us, to supply our needs?

[3:33] What use is a so-called God like that? my dear friends you and I if we are taught by God we shall want a God who is able to deliver us that's what we shall want and these prophets have failed to prove that their God didn't hear us he didn't deliver us because there was no such thing it was an idol but the true God the one whom Elijah served he came with fire from heaven he heard the prayer of the prophet one man only one man cried to the Lord and he heard him and he sent down that wonderful answer to his prayer but you see the work is of the heart after this

[5:06] Jezebel threatened his life and Jezebel we know she was the king's wife the queen but remember this Elijah had been dealing with the king of kings the God of heaven the almighty God he had just had he had just had the witness that this almighty God heard his prayer and sent fire down from heaven and in spite of all the water that was poured on the sacrifice and all around the ditch around it gallons and gallons of water yet it all went up in a blaze such was the power of God now Elijah had witness this he had had a wonderful witness of the power of God and now the table did it work her this wicked woman Jezebel threatens his life and it's so powerful that the man fears that it will come that it will come to pass and he's pleased for his life but did the Lord forsake him the instant in season out of season now the dear Lord was out the dear man was out of season full of fears he'd run away he felt he was the only one left that served the Lord that feared his name and he goes and he lays down in this distressed condition but I do love that account the Lord saw him he didn't leave him there in that state some might say well he's so full of unbelief the Lord are leaving now after that wonderful miracle you'll leave in there but the Lord didn't the Lord will never leave his dear people you say what in spite of all my sin and all my unbelief yes in spite of all that my dear friends the Lord will never leave you if you're is he'll come to you he'll lift your arms he came to the prophet what did he do he gave him the case and the drink and it still wasn't enough to strengthen the man he fell down again in sleep and sorrow he was so weighted with unbelief so weighted with fear the troubles of the way they were mountains before him the Lord come again touched him arise these and dreams but the journey is too great for these all the love the mercy of God to his dear people all how compassionate he is my dear friends the Lord knows how much you and I can stand how much we can carry the Lord doesn't lay a greater burden upon one than he is able to carry he doesn't the Lord will come in the midst of that trial and he'll give you a help a word an encouragement yes he's a blessed merciful master and if you are taught being taught by him and led by him you'll prove it that the

[10:31] Lord doesn't leave you to go through the fires and the waters on your own no the word of God says I will be with you Israel passing through the fires and the waters I'll be with you you might say but I can't see him I'm going through the fires and the waters now I'm full of fears darkness dejected I don't feel I've got any grace within me I will be with thee I will help thee you might say well he hasn't come yet well are you seeking after him ah he will come you still press on that dear friend seek after him in his word at the throne of grave you'll find him

[11:43] I'm not going to say where you'll find him the lord of the sovereign you might find him in the hymn book you might find him in the reading of the word or at his bookstore in prayer or you might find him in his house the preaching of the word might be blessed to your soul it might come right where you are the lord is a sovereign he uses what he might what he will but I do know this dear friend that the lord will not leave you to seek under the load that he puts on you I've proved it many a time the lord comes right where we are when he sees we need a help that's the secret my friend our time is always ready but he comes when he sees fit when he sees we're in a fit state when our need is great enough when our spirit when we're going to appreciate it when we're going to praise him and give him the honour and the glory for his great work for his goodness for his upheld and holding hand yes the lord knows when we have need it'll be instant in season out of season ah my dear friend man when when you're passed down and cannot see the lord still press on don't give up look beyond the cloud for him above the cloud remember he's still there as we said this morning he sees us though we can't see him press on then when you're out of season when the devil roars in the heart and says you see you will not love the people of

[14:26] God you do this you do that you speak this and that or you think these things look at the thoughts of your heart and so on my dear friends you appeal to the lord to read your heart cleanse you from all shame and come and dwell himself in the heart that's what we want in the instant in season out of season come to end when you feel to be at the ends of the earth come and seek after that precious Christ oh my dear friends there's a beauty there's a preciousness in Christ to that soul that is cast down that is fear in the love why if a precious

[15:34] Christ is revealed we will be precious my friend your heart will seek after him and it will want him above everything else the instant in season out of season still seek after this Christ when out of season he is the way the truth and the lie he is the only way there's no other way come to that soul that has no hope seek after him come and fall at his feet and tell him just how you feel my friends it don't matter how simple how broken it is that our dear lord and master if

[16:52] I might reverently say so he doesn't require any special standards in the way of our dress our speech speech what I mean to say is if we were to go before an earthly king or our queen that rules this country we should put our very best clothes on our very best speech and there will be many I suppose in the nation that would be considered too low to even come to her and speak to her but not so before King Jesus my friends it don't matter if you can't read all right you can still come to this blessed king and he'll know what you want to tell him ah it don't matter whether you can speak or whether you can't the

[18:09] Lord can read the thoughts of your heart and I know this that sometimes as we journey along we sigh and we groan because of the way perhaps it's the burden that we are carrying and we sigh or we groan sometimes it's as we come to the house of God we come and we sigh and perhaps behind the sigh are thoughts well the Lord won't never hear me he won't speak to me on two vials my friend the Lord sees those thoughts he hears them he does many a time as I make my way to the house of

[19:15] God to preach the word I have to sigh I sigh before him and what's behind it why the poverty of my heart the emptiness the wretchedness I don't say anything but I know this the Lord reads it he reads a sigh he knows what's behind the sigh that comes out of our hearts the instant in season out of season still come to him then however dark and as as the way you might feel come to him you will if he's your only hope you won't be able to go anywhere else why because thou hast the words of eternal life that's our

[20:26] God and unless it's our God unless that's the thought we have toward him my dear friend then he won't be our God no but if he is our God we seek him with all our heart it's because he has the word of eternal life it's because there is forgiveness to be found with him blessed be his name he is able to deliver unto the uttermost all that come unto him so if you are that soul that heart that is out of season don't give up you might say as I believe I mentioned this morning well

[21:28] I'm not coming anymore if I don't get nothing to do my friend the Lord reads a heart he knows whether you're sincere or not you know I believe sometimes we say these sort of things to tempt God to try and force his hand but I know this that the Lord knows whether we're really true or not and there's been many a child of God who has as fearingly and in reality said that he's going for the last time and there's nothing there he won't do no more but the Lord knows whether that will and in many cases it has been real and he's met with them he saw the intent of their heart he knew that they would intend on and wouldn't come anymore yes we can't deceive

[22:38] God we cannot deceive God he reads our very heart he knows our thoughts he knows what we even think about doing tomorrow or next week if spared he knows but my dear friends the Lord ways the Lord is not always the same as ours and we have to often prove that those things that we said we were going to do or walk in and so on we find the Lord cuts right across them sometimes it's not his will and it's often it makes us rebellious but my dear friend sometimes the

[23:42] Lord is pleased to show us that he knows that yes he knows that there's an instant that comes to my mind respecting the Lord ways I once went to work in a normal way and I used to I had a little van then and I went to work and I used to stop the day had dinner at work sandwiches and the end of the day come and I got in the van and wouldn't go and I begged the Lord to help me to start that motor to get me home but for some reason or other the

[24:52] Lord didn't hear my prayer or rather he didn't answer it I'm not going to say he didn't hear it because he did he heard it but he didn't answer it there was no apparent reason why his motor wouldn't go but it just would not go and I left it there and went home on the bus and I had my meal and I got a man down the road to take me back with a view of hurry in and when I got in the motor and pulled the starter it went to my imagine it went always did try me it tried me to the quiz to think why the Lord hadn't answered my prayer and now I come back and really was made to look a fall and yet and the motor went the first fall and it tried me for quite a long time and one day

[26:07] I was speaking to a servant of the Lord and I related this instance to him he said well he said the only thing I can say to you he says that may be that was the preserving hand of God over you if you had been permitted to start that motor and gone home at that normal time you may have been involved in a serious accident and I could see in a moment that maybe that was the reason that the Lord was preserved in my life I know I know I could leave it then because there have been those occasions when I seen various things happen on the roads and there have been a minute or two minutes or so delay for some reason or other and then

[27:13] I've seen the reason there's what we call accidents down the road and had there not been that short delay I would have been in it the wonder working preserving hand of God over dear people well we're exalted to be instant in season out of season and my friends as we are enabled to think upon the power of God and his almighty power and his wisdom and understanding which is beyond us you will fear at times you haven't got any wisdom or understanding but my dear friends we shall as we look to this great

[28:15] God and see his wisdom and understanding we'll be unable to commit our way into his hands it will enable us to be instant when out of season it will enable us to still press on in spite of darkness and gloominess and things that have crossed our path and various accusations that come against us by the devil his agents and even the Lord's people you say well even the Lord's people yes my dear friends sometimes the Lord's people things are hidden from them the Lord's way is hidden from them respecting others particularly and they can't see as that person sees no because the

[29:26] Lord has led that person in the past line he has spoken to them he has led them ah my friends we have to obey God not man we have to be instant in season out of season season these things are to bring us out of season and they will my dear friend if we listen to man they will they drive us away from God they drive us away from him my friends I proved it myself even respecting the ministry the exercise the burden of him that

[30:28] I carry and I listened to man man said I shouldn't go I mustn't go but I believe the Lord said I must go speak to the children of Israel preach the word now the poor sinner is brought between us in a great strait it's obedient or disobedience and it's as close as that my friend and left for ourselves my friends we become out of season we listen to man we forsake God often time and this is where

[31:31] I was I was listening to man and the Lord had been pleased to open a door for me that I might go and preach the word for the first time and still I listened to man and said I couldn't go but three days before that day before that Sunday came the Lord came again he saw where I was going he saw I was listening to man and was going to disobey God and he came again and he came in this way he said this into my heart curse it is man curse it is man who is listening to man ah my friends if we disobey

[32:52] God we shall have his rock we shall we have his rock curse is man who trust is in man that was the exact word that came into my heart and my friends when the Lord speaks there is power the power attended those words into my heart and I was in a great strait then I knew if I didn't go I would be cursed but the old flesh the old man the carnality of my mind said but how can you know how can a wretch like you preach the word impossible so it was but

[33:59] I had a venture and I had a venture leaning upon the Lord trusting in him and I said Lord if it's right thou wilt be with me but if it's not shut my mouth and don't let me reach there my friends these things are real when we have to walk in them but the Lord hears and he sees the leadings of work of our hearts and the intents of the heart that is the point that I wish to convey before you the intents of when we're out of season but all blessed be his name he doesn't leave us in that condition he comes not too late he waits sometimes and comes at the last minute he will come ah my friends if we belong to the

[35:26] Lord we have a special place in his heart he has an eye upon us he's watching over us day and night he's reading our hearts he's watching our steps to see where we're going to go next and the Lord preserves his people he says thus far no further oh how often the dear Lord comes and checks the child of God and prevents him going any further into sin oh my friends how a great Lord have you proved anything of his greatness and power deliverance and have you not proved that he can keep alive your soul and when you're out of season have you not proved that he can come in a moment and draw your heart again and soften him and shed his love abroad in your heart yes he does he did to those that went on the road to

[37:01] Emmaus they were out of season in a way they were communing together of the wine and they felt the master was absent that the master was going along with them he was communing with them talking with them that he was hidden he was hidden from them but he was there and then he was revealed and they said did not their heart burn within them in us as we commune together ah my friends do we commune together of the things of God the way he led us the pathway that we walk in you know my dear friends it's profitable to talk one to another of the way that we walk in it is the

[38:17] Lord is sometimes pleased to draw near and confirm it and bless us as we go I would that there was more of it in these days I know many of the Lord's people I fear to speak of what the Lord has done but my friends it's dishonouring to God it denies him and there are those times and occasions when we have to cry out we have to speak of what he's done give and must he will have the glory to his own work not another and when he works in the heart my dear friend it will be revealed first to that soul and then it comes out to others and sometimes others can see it without even speaking these things are revealed to the brethren the grace of God is revealed it's revealed individually it's also revealed in the ministry when a man is prepared to preach the word it's revealed to some of the Lord's people not all it's revealed to those that the Lord is pleased to reveal it to but I know this is true well I feel we've rather rambled but the Lord knows what has been of him and I do pray that he might bless something for your souls in his name in his name so amen he would just have wrong to have anyjing and I do

[41:17] Thank you.