Isaiah (Quality: Good)

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

[0:23] Isaiah 42 and verse 16. I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not.

[0:39] I will lead them in paths that they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight.

[0:53] These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them. Isaiah 42 and verse 16.

[1:05] And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not. I will lead them in paths that they have not known.

[1:19] I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.

[1:33] What a sacred word, friends, this is, and will be, as it is applied to the children of God.

[1:49] There is a mixture in this verse. There are many things, and we shall have to walk them out, if we're his children.

[2:06] Friends, I maintain that a real religion is of the Holy Ghost, and it is of experiences.

[2:26] There are many today, they don't want the experiences. They want to teach in ministry.

[2:38] But, friends, you can't separate it from the experiences. We have it right through the Word of God. The pathways children walked in were through experiences.

[2:52] Real religion has to be tasted, handled, and felt.

[3:06] And so it is, friends. But what an unspeakable mercy it is that the dear Lord goes before his children.

[3:18] I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not. I will bring them.

[3:33] Ah, friends. How many times have you and I feared that we've been left alone, that God has departed from us because of the darkness of the way, the trials, the burdens, the afflictions.

[4:15] But the Lord says, I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not.

[4:29] I'll bring them. Oh, friends, what a loving God we have.

[4:41] What a compassionate God we have. Did not we read in the last verse, the 13th verse of that chapter 43, I will work, and who shall let it?

[5:04] I will work. Friends, we shall not escape the dark paths.

[5:17] I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not. We have to solemnly prove that we are blind.

[5:30] That is, regarding our pathways, the Lord's pathway.

[5:46] We have to solemnly realize we don't know what a day may bring forth. We don't know what's around the corner.

[5:56] There are many thoughts and plans that pass through our minds.

[6:15] But, friends, they are all subject to the will of God. We make engagements regarding the services of his house and what an exercise and burden it is.

[6:32] We don't know how we should be or where we should be next year. We don't know whether we should be alive, whether we shall have sufficient health and strength for these things.

[6:53] Yet, these decisions have to be made. They're all subject to the will of God.

[7:07] We have to pray, if thy presence go not with us, carry us not up in. Our blessed Saviour has the key to the house of David.

[7:25] And he opens and no man can shut. And he can shut and no man can open. And, friends, the Lord gives his children strength to do his will.

[7:46] Yes. I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not. We are blind because we have to realise our times are in his hands.

[8:09] We have to prove this if we are the Lord's children and born again. We're not our own. We're not our own.

[8:21] Our life is planned for us. It is overruled, blessed be his holy name for us. Haven't you proved it?

[8:33] I'm sure you have if you're the Lord's children. I've proved it many times. Many times I've thought I've been going to go in a certain pathway but it's come to nothing.

[8:51] The door's been shut. It couldn't take place because it wasn't according to the will of God. The Lord knows the end from the beginning and what he will do with each one of us.

[9:09] What a wonderful thing that is friends. What a disaster it would be were it not so and you and I were left to go our own ways and do our own will.

[9:30] Oh friends oh to be in the Lord's hands oh that the Lord would overrule things for our good you might have many be filled with many fears at this time through the pathway you're walking in maybe deep afflictions but I will lead the blind by a way that they knew not he's leading you yes he's leading you in this pathway there's a purpose in it you might not be able to see that purpose but let us say this

[10:39] I believe the purpose is that it's going to work together for your good your good you can't see that can you all things work together for good to them that love God what an unspeakable mercy friends if you and I have got any evidences any experiences of love to our God God because friends let's make this perfectly clear if you and I have got any love to our God at any time he first loved us we didn't first love him it's all of grace if ever my poor soul be saved is

[11:53] Christ must be the way it's not of works why you and I or some of us at least are solemnly aware we've mistook the way thousands of times but what a mercy that the Lord leads his children in his powers I will lead I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not a way that they knew not are you walking in a path that you knew not it's a new path it's a path you never thought that you would walk in but friend let us remember this word because I believe it will help and comfort your heart as you are enabled to embrace it

[13:21] I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not there's many times friends even in the scriptures where this was the case the Lord led the blind by a way they knew not look at Mary and Martha over their brother Lazarus they sent to Jesus a message that their brother was sick they had to solemnly prove didn't they that the Lord brought the brine by a way they knew not he didn't attend unto their cry he didn't stop he didn't return straight away but we come again to that word we closed with in the reading

[14:42] I will work and who shall let it I will work and when the Lord Jesus knew that Lazarus was dead then he stopped then he turned round and he returned then he came to Mary and Martha I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not or they were broken hearted they loved the Lord Jesus Christ there we have that word again you see that all things work together for good to them that loved God they loved God but they couldn't see how those things were going to or were working together for good it was a step at a time and so it will be with you and

[15:52] I friends it's a step at a time we have to walk by faith not by sight so did Mary and Martha but oh the love and compassion of the Lord Jesus Christ to his dear children look how it was with Mary and Martha he heard all they got to say he was touched in his heart because he loved them he groaned in the spirit and he wept yet friends he knew what he was going to do he knew he was going to raise Lazarus to life again you might say well why did he weep because he loved

[17:00] Mary and Martha he couldn't bear to see them in sorrow and it made him weep with them and that's the love that the Lord Jesus has to his dear children how great it is it's still the same friends are you walking in a pathway that is strange to you painful to you but I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not ah friends I say again how this was brought to pass with Mary and Martha Jesus came where they were he communed with them he wept with them and he came to the grave to the place where

[18:20] Lazarus was lying and oh how he commanded that Lazarus should come forth and immediately Lazarus came forth just as he was bound hand and foot loose him and let him go I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not friends you might be walking on a path way of deep affliction you might say or think well how does this apply to me

[19:21] I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not you might be in such a pathway that there's nothing can be done for you there are many afflictions that man has to walk in where there is nothing that can be done Times ah but I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not we know the Lord can deliver we know the Lord can heal remember the man that possessed as Paul. He was so afflicted he couldn't get into the pool, could he? He couldn't find anybody to help him into the pool either. But he'd gone 38 years hoping that he might somehow or other get into that pool first and be healed. But I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not. Jesus knew that man, knew how long he had been afflicted and he came where he was. He came where he was. Oh how wonderful that was. The Lord wonderfully delivered him, made him whole. He brought the blind by a way that they knew not. This man, he didn't get into the water. He didn't need to. But the Lord healed him. You know, we do get things set in our minds at times. We do get the wrong idea from time to time.

[21:56] You know that man no doubt didn't think he could be healed unless he got into that water. water past. But he had to experience and prove he was wrong. The Lord came where he was and delivered him and made him whole. You might say, well how does that affect me?

[22:28] Well, it may be, well it may be, there may be one or more in that pathway, afflicted.

[22:42] You're watching, you're waiting, you're hoping that the Lord will come, will heal. You know there's no other one. The physicians cannot do anything. They often have to admit they can do nothing.

[23:16] But friends, there is that heavenly physician who is the greatest of all.

[23:29] As I have said from time to time, no doubt here, I don't know, but our heavenly physician created the body. He created man.

[23:44] So he must know everything there is to know about the body. But I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not.

[23:57] Friends, it may be, and often is the case, with his children. He brings the blind by a way that they knew not.

[24:13] He brings them into the pathway of affliction. And what does he do in it? He weans them from this world.

[24:29] Step by step. They realise they're in his hands. They can do nothing.

[24:43] But I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not. What does the Lord say in his blessed word?

[24:55] I have gone to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself.

[25:13] That there, where I am, you may be. Ah, friends, I will lead the blind. I lead the blind by a way that they knew not.

[25:28] What a wonderful thing, friends. If this proves to be the pathway that the Lord is leading you in at this time. And that this affliction may be the very means of bringing you into that sacred, blessed place where he is.

[25:57] I will lead the blind by a way that they knew not.

[26:09] I will lead them in paths that they have not known. When you and I are brought into paths that we have not known, we are blind, we haven't known the pathway, We are often filled with many fears.

[26:44] Many fears. It's such a dark pathway. But, friends, the Lord says, I will make darkness light before them.

[27:02] I will make darkness light. Friends, we have to prove this. Only the Lord can do this in our pathways.

[27:16] When we are walking in that pathway, that spiritual pathway. When we are so utterly helpless.

[27:29] And in darkness. We can't make darkness light, can we? We can't make crooked things straight and rough places plain.

[27:46] But I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not. I will lead them in paths that they have not known.

[28:00] O, many of his dear children, as they age, have to come into these things.

[28:16] Walk them out. I will lead them in paths that they have not known.

[28:27] I will lead them. O, friends. Let us not overlook that. It's most important. The Lord says, I'll lead them.

[28:39] I'll lead them. We have many precious promises in the Word of God. We have promises about walking in the fires and not being burned.

[28:58] We have the floods. We have various examples in the Word of God of the power of God.

[29:10] We have the three Hebrews that were cast into the fiery furnace. The Lord was with them. He led them.

[29:22] He led them. He went before them. Did we not cast free into this fiery furnace?

[29:33] Behold, there is four, one like the Son of God. Oh, how wonderful these things are, friends.

[29:43] But, oh, how you and I so often lack faith. We look at the sorrows.

[29:59] We're perplexed. We're troubled. But the Lord says, I will lead you.

[30:11] I'll lead you. I will be with you. Oh, the many times the Lord has declared in his sacred truth that he would be with his children, with his people.

[30:24] When they pass through trials, troubles, tribulations. Oh, that we might consider these things, friends.

[30:38] You know, left to our carnal hearts, all we want to think about is the remedy. We want to get right. We want to get away from these things.

[30:48] We want them to be put right. We want to be dismissed from them. But the Lord often says, this is the way.

[31:01] Walk in it. Walk in it. And he speaks these words to his children when they're trying to turn to the left hand or the right hand.

[31:17] This is the way. Walk in it. Straightforward. And how are you and I going to walk this way?

[31:32] There's only one way that we should be enabled. Looking unto Jesus. Looking unto Jesus.

[31:49] The author and finisher of faith. Blessed be his holy name. We wouldn't get anywhere without him.

[32:04] He begins it. He finishes it. It will go on. It will go on. He's the author and finisher.

[32:18] Oh, how essential these things are, friends. That we might know him. That we might trust in him.

[32:30] Or are there not many times, many days with some of you, and you don't know how to face the day.

[32:45] And you'll wake in the morning. Perhaps being awake half the night.

[32:57] Tossed to and fro. But friends. But friends. We have to prove this.

[33:11] We can only continue. As we are enabled to look unto him. Look unto him.

[33:24] And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not. I will lead them in paths that they have not known.

[33:40] I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things bright. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.

[33:57] May the Lord bless the few things, and may he bless his word to us. For his name's sake. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[34:23] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

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