Isaiah (Quality: Good)

[0:00] As the Lord may be pleased to help me again, I would ask your attention to Isaiah chapter 42 and verse 16.

[0:15] Isaiah 42 verse 16. And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not.

[0:27] I will lead them in paths that they have not known. I will make darkness light before them and crooked things straight.

[0:43] These things will I do unto them and not forsake them. Isaiah 42 verse 16.

[0:54] And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not. I will lead them in paths that they have not known.

[1:09] I will make darkness light before them and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them and not forsake them.

[1:24] What a blessed God we have, friends.

[1:37] A God of love. You might sometimes be left or each of us might be left to our old flesh.

[1:53] And be rebellious against God. For his dealings.

[2:07] For the pathway that we have to walk in. But you know, when we come to a verse like this. We see.

[2:21] God's love is mixed with it. Right the way through. Right the way through. He does love his children.

[2:34] He does care for them. He is concerned for them. He will make all things work together for good.

[2:50] To them that love God. For he is leading them in his paths. He cares for them. I will lead them in paths they have not known.

[3:15] We have to prove this, friends. We have no control over the paths that we walk in. We may think we do.

[3:30] We may make lots of plans. And we may get away with lots of things. Jonah got away with his plan to a point.

[3:43] Only to a point. So it is. With every child of God. There comes a time when the Lord stops them.

[3:59] When the Lord leads them. In fresh paths. New paths. Little did Jonah think.

[4:10] He would finish up. In the whale's belly. Did he? Which was to him. The belly of hell. But that was because.

[4:25] Of his sin and rebellion. The Lord dealt with him. And he dealt with him like that. In his love. In his mercy and compassion.

[4:38] If he hadn't been in love and mercy. Friends. He could have destroyed him in a moment. But he didn't. I believe the children of God are absolutely amazed.

[4:57] From time to time. At the long suffering mercy. Of their God. The hymn writer knew it.

[5:11] Why me. Why me. Why me. O gracious God. Who must forever. Lie in hell. Were not.

[5:27] Salvation. Free. Free. It's without money. It's without price. It's not earned.

[5:38] It's for bankrupt sinners. For poor lost sinners. That have nothing to pay with. With. Oh.

[5:52] There are. Various ones. In the world. And. That belong to the devil. That. They can see no love in God.

[6:08] But I believe his children. Can't see anything else. But love. Mercy. Compassion.

[6:25] I don't doubt. That you and I. Have had many sorrows. On various. Problems and troubles. In our lives.

[6:36] But friends. As we look back. Over our lives. Can we go with that word. In.

[6:48] I think it's in the proverbs. But the word is this. Dost thou know. The balancing.

[6:58] Of the clouds. Dost thou know. The balancing. Of the clouds. Some of us.

[7:14] Have walked. In some. Particularly. Marked. Paths. Where we've had to. Prove this. The apostle.

[7:29] Paul. Had to prove it. Dost thou know. The balancing. The balancing. Of the clouds. Yes he did. He had to have. The thorn.

[7:40] In the flesh. And it remained. With him. And the Lord. Would not remove it. But he said. My grace. Shall be sufficient.

[7:52] For thee. My grace. O friends. The love of God. How great it is.

[8:06] I will lead them in paths that they have not known. I will make darkness light before them.

[8:16] You might say. Well. How can this be possible? How can the Lord make darkness light before us?

[8:31] Well. We see it every day. Don't we? Naturally. In the world.

[8:46] The Lord. Causes the night to come. The darkness to. Come over the earth. Every morning.

[8:57] We see. The light. Come. We think nothing of it perhaps. We've seen it every day of our life.

[9:10] But it's a miracle. It's God's creation. God has ordered it. And so it takes place.

[9:24] It takes place. It takes place. It takes place. But friends. There is the spiritual side of it. I will make darkness light before them.

[9:40] Before them. Has he ever come before you and I. And made the darkness light.

[10:01] Friends. I hope I know a little of it. I know something of the darkness.

[10:12] Darkness. Darkness. Darkness. And that is the order. The darkness. The way was rough.

[10:25] And rugged. There were many enemies.

[10:35] And friends. Friends. I.

[10:51] Was filled with self-pity. Why should I suffer this? Why should I be singled out for such treatment?

[11:13] And friends. I went. I suppose for a long time in that. Pathway. But friends.

[11:37] As I said this morning. A poor man who is singled out. By God. And sent to preach the word of God.

[11:49] He can only preach. What he has handled. Tasted. Handled. And felt. Of the word of life. Of God's dealings. And it will be to his honor and glory.

[12:06] And thus friends. It had an effect upon. The things that. I had to speak. It was a good.

[12:21] It was a good. The darkness. And I remember on one occasion. Particularly.

[12:37] Having. To speak on the strain of those things. I don't know what the text was now at all. But. I know the effects of it.

[12:50] What it had upon. A certain woman. But all. Friends.

[13:06] The darkness was made light. I couldn't say anything more.

[13:17] I couldn't murmur anymore. Against God. And his dealings with me. And the pathway. That I was having to walk in. Because it came where that dear woman was.

[13:29] She was blessed in her soul. That made amends for everything. I knew the Lord was in it.

[13:41] Immediately. That's all that mattered to me then. I could leave the rest. I could say. I will be done. I couldn't before. I couldn't before. I will make darkness light.

[14:01] Before them. All. The mercy of God. He's still the same God.

[14:16] Are you walking in a pathway of darkness? Distress? Affliction?

[14:29] I will make darkness light. And friends. It won't necessarily be.

[14:40] That the Lord. Comes. And takes away. That trial. That affliction. We often have to prove.

[14:52] It's not so. He doesn't take it away. It's as I have already remarked. Regarding Paul. The Lord didn't take away.

[15:02] The thorn in the flesh. But he blessed him. He granted his help. He promised him.

[15:13] That his grace. Would be sufficient for him. So friends. Paul. Must. Be.

[15:24] Humbled. Willing. Be given that grace. To say. That I will be done. And he will get through.

[15:38] He will be helped through. And so will you and I. Friends. Whatever you and I may be. In. Whatever dark path. We may be struggling through.

[15:51] At this time. I will make. Darkness. Light. Be. Before them.

[16:05] Memorial. Yes. He'll. I say again how loving and gracious and merciful is God to his dear children but remember this it comes into my mind remember this the rebellious dwell in a dry land the rebellious dwell in a dry land the rebellious will not find their darkness made light not whilst they are rebellious oh how we need then to be humbled how we need to be broken down how we need to come to the Lord like as we mentioned this morning the dying thief come

[17:18] Lord remember me remember me I will make darkness there is a path of affliction affliction affliction is often used in the hands of our God to bring us down even even to the swellings of Jordan and oft times coupled with those afflictions the Lord hides his face which makes the burden doubly hard the poor soul the poor sinner cries out oh that I knew where I might find him but oh friends

[18:43] I will make darkness light before them darkness light friends the child of God cannot give up he cannot give up seeking waiting praying traveling because because because he is born again because the Lord has given him faith and because the dear Lord has prayed that his faith fail not friends

[19:44] I believe the Lord Jesus Christ prays for every child of his that their faith fail not what a precious precious thing to have a little sweet feeling that the Lord loves and cares for us and that we may find a little sweet interest in the prayer of Jesus who prayed for Peter that his faith fail not do you and I feel to need that from time to time especially when we are perhaps overcome or troubled and pressed sorely by various things or where we what does the hymn say somewhere it says this does

[21:09] Satan tempt thee to give up and no more on his Jesus name to call does he he will he will torment the Lord's children he will come where they are especially when they are low and distressed and cast down but I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not where would Peter have been had it not been for the prayer of Jesus he denied his Lord thrice didn't he Peter loved the Lord Jesus Christ but he was a poor weak sinner he had a carnal heart we're no better are we left to ourselves with no better whatever but I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not

[22:30] I will make darkness light before them and crooked things straight all these crooked things friends that we have in our lives I don't doubt each one of us have got something that's crooked in our life I don't doubt they're totally different to one another but friends we can't deal with them we can't straighten them we can't get rid of them they're there they're crooked they're crooked some of those things dishonor

[23:40] God some of those things are where the flesh blames God but I will make the crooked things straight oh isn't that what some of us long to say the crooked things made straight there's perhaps a lot of those lot of things that are crooked first in our own hearts things are crooked we don't see as we would see oh many things that are crooked in our eyes in our pathways what's more there are many things that try us regarding those crooked things if we've got crooked things friends and we're rightly exercised about them we should take them to the

[25:17] Lord we shall ask him to deal with them we shall ask him to straighten them he has said he has promised here that he will make darkness light before them and crooked things straight in the margin it says Hebrew into straightness into straightness all those crooked things the trouble that some of those crooked things have caused us they've deeply distressed us and wounded us and we've tried to take them unto the

[26:22] Lord now perhaps for many years many years where's this promise got to I will make darkness light before them and crooked things straight crooked things straight what has caused these crooked things friends well in some of them we know what has caused them it's been the flesh and the devil oh and how we long to see the Lord appear and make the crooked things straight it may be there are some of you and I have myself walked in that pathway where there have been crooked things crooked things one instance was a crooked thing that I walked in and it came to me that it was God that God was intervening with me in a particular thing and I was greatly distressed and troubled and laboured under it for weeks if not a few months but one day the Lord came and he made that crooked thing straight and believe it or not he showed me it was not God it was not God it was Satan it was Satan that had worked that had interfered with our life it was regarding worship worship ah

[29:02] I do know the Lord can make crooked things bright but friends there may be other things there are other things that we have and you have no doubt they are crooked and they have been going on perhaps perhaps for years yes years oh if it were possible we would straighten but we can't we can't but our God can oh the power of God there is none that speaketh like him he can humble he can break down he can enlighten he can make darkness light he can make crooked things straight

[30:18] I will make darkness light before them and crooked things straight crooked things straight you may be very tossed and tried about your way to heaven about your religion about your conduct you might be you might be sorely tried and tempted by the adversary there is no hope for you you have failed you come short what does the Lord say what does the word of the Lord say regarding those that come that come short he speaks of the bankrupt sinners and when they had nothing to pay he frankly forgave them both both in other words the little sinner and the great sinner if there is such a thing that one did owe much more than the other and friends that is real religion real religion cannot be earned or merited it is the gift of God when they had nothing to pay he frankly forgave them both oh friends how true the word of God is it is by grace you are saved through faith and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God well the time is about

[32:32] God but let us just look at this last clause these things will I do unto them and not forsake them what a precious precious word friend do you feel to be a poor dying sinner do you feel to have gone the wrong way made mistakes all your life now you're at the end of the journey not got long to go what are you going to do well you can't do nothing you can't alter yourself you can't undo what you've done these things will I do unto them and not forsake them these things will I do

[33:39] I'll go before his children I'll go before them I'll lead them in my path I'll save them from their sin I'll bring them to Calvary yes friends I believe the dear Lord Jesus Christ took every one of his dear children to Calvary when he was crucified when he shed his blood for them yes and he'll bring his children there one by one and he'll wash them he'll wash them feet if I wash thee not thou hath no part with me oh friends that we might know more of these sacred things and enter into them experimentally may may the

[35:06] Lord bless a few things for his name's sake amen amen and we Thank you.