Isaiah (Quality: Very Good)

[0:00] I before the day was, I am he, and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.

[0:14] I will work, and who shall let it? Isaiah 43 verse 13, Yea, before the day was, I am he, and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.

[0:38] I will work, and who shall let it? Friends, I believe the children of God have many, many fears regarding their walk, their life, and eternity.

[1:02] But oh, how we so often lack faith. Faith is the gift of God.

[1:13] We can't give it ourselves, but he gives faith. And he has made it so clear in this world that first, God is eternal, and that he is almighty.

[1:43] He also declares that he will work. And who shall let it?

[1:53] Who shall stop him? Who shall intervene? He reigns. What an unspeakable mercy, friends.

[2:07] That is, God is final. I say again, we have many fears regarding our lives, the future, and the making of decisions.

[2:24] because we know that if we make a wrong decision it will be crossed the Lord will intervene we have proved him over the years we have proved that he reigns blessed be his holy name he reigns and we have had to prove that he is the heavenly potter and we are his clay and he does as he pleases with us but we have a pathway to walk in which God has appointed for us and friends how wonderful it is when we see a little of God's work of his wonder work in hand as I mentioned in prayer we see from time to time that the Lord opens doors and he closes doors and it's often or sometimes it's so different to what you and I thought thought we was going to do or even plan to do we are foolish enough to plan things in our flesh but we have had to prove at times the Lord has come and he has shut the door it wouldn't open ah friends the Lord sees you and I he knows us he knows our abilities he sees our failings he knows what he can leave with us he knows what he cannot leave to us remember even that dear man of God

[5:09] Paul he was greatly blessed as the Lord but the Lord saw that he could not leave him to carry on in that pathway without giving him a thorn in the flesh it was necessary friends the Lord knows why he had to give him the thorn in the flesh it may be for various reasons we are not all made alike some of us can get puffed up much easier than another

[6:10] I am not saying this was the case regarding Paul I am not making any suggestions of what it was but it was necessary in God's eyes to give him the thorn in the flesh and so Paul did not like it he didn't want it neither do you and I want a thorn in the flesh it's painful whatever it be but friends the dear Lord didn't leave Paul there did he when Paul besought the Lord that he would take it away he said to Paul my grace shall be sufficient for thee my grace shall be sufficient for thee

[7:22] I won't leave you I'll help you but friends the Lord expects to be sought by his children he expects them to call upon him to plead with him we have that word that was with me recently pray without ceasing pray without ceasing and friends it is most necessary and it's a solemn thing if we can carry on without prayer if we can manage our own affairs I don't know how you find it but I know how I find it the older

[8:24] I get the more I need the Lord to sustain me to help me to strengthen me to guide me to lead me oh friends all that we might be unable to consider what this word says yea before the day was I am he before the day was I am he I believe that to be before the creation of this world God reigned God was in eternity it was in eternity he chose a people before ever this world was created before ever we were born yet the

[9:41] Lord chose a people what a wonderful thing to consider has the Lord chose you and me are we amongst that number friends there are some wonderful things to consider regarding those that are chosen those that are called those who are his friends the first thing is this the Lord said ye must be born again we must be born again friends we shall never get to heaven at last if we're not born again if we're not possessors of the spirit of

[11:06] God the Lord has said that he will come to his children he will enter in oh what a wonderful wonderful thing to have and experience the presence of God and I believe friends that all his children will experience it and they will experience the Trinity the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost it must be so they are one they cannot be separated the Father chose and called a people he gave that responsibility of the salvation of their souls unto his beloved

[12:16] Son Jesus and Jesus laid down his life for his children that they might be redeemed and friends the blessed Holy Spirit is our teacher he takes the things of Jesus and reveals them unto us a man so we haven't seen Jesus with the natural eye but friends what a wonderful thing it is if Jesus has been revealed to us if he has been made precious to us if we have heard his voice and oh what a precious wonderful thing it is if we are taught of the Holy Ghost the blessed Holy Ghost will quicken us into life he will teach us he will constrain us oh friends remember when we are constrained by the Spirit of God it's not the flash not the flash all to be taught of the Spirit of God well I say again this blessed 3-1 God dwells in the hearts of his children they shall come they shall come they'll come unto me unto the Lord friends there are some of us here that can go back to the time when we didn't want to come we wouldn't come but the day came when the Lord dealt with us he stopped us he stopped us he showed us what the end would be of these things if we continued in them and all the power the power of God that's something that's something friends that I believe we look for when we come to the word of God when we read it when we come into the house of God and hear the word preached what do we want what do we look for the power of God and what a wonderful thing that is under all the difference it makes when we feel and know the power of God the effects of it remember

[16:03] David who sinned grievously and was unrepentant unrepentant but the Lord came and he was humbled remember the Lord sent his prophet unto him who spoke to him in such a way that it arrested him that it it had a a solemn effect upon him and then he was judged thou art the man thou art the man oh the power of God how wonderful it is oh I would that we could know more of the power of God in our lives in our religion in the preaching of the word of God have not some of us maybe all of us at some time or other have been in a place of worship not necessarily a strip

[17:42] Baptist but even in strip Baptist as well but we've been in the place of worship on the Sabbath day and we have known that the Lord wasn't there wasn't there it was the letter of the word and that's all we could hear and how solemn those things are but how blessed when the power of God is there when his word comes home with divine power and our hearts are melted our stony hearts are melted we often mourn over hard hearts stony hearts the carnal flesh that's what it is we want the blessed spirit of

[18:50] God to come to humble us to melt our hearts and what a mercy friend that he does it from time to time he has pronounced his blessing upon his children that he will give them hearts of flesh not stone that's our natural dispositions hearts of stone Peter had to prove it didn't he that he had a heart of stone remember the Lord told him that he would deny him thrice and that after that the cock would crow but he denied that it was could be that it would be but he was put to the test and he had to solemnly prove he had a heart of stone he denied knowing the Lord with oaths and curses is this the same dear man that loved the Lord

[20:33] Jesus Christ that drew his sword out and struck one of the high priests yes this was Peter but friends when he had denied the Lord and the cock crow the Lord looked right into Peter's heart and it broke his heart the blessed power and spirit of God entered his heart and he was humbled brought to repentance he went out and wept bitterly he never forgot that great sin he never forgave himself for that neither did

[21:47] Saul who was a persecutor of Jesus Christ and the church of God but the dear Lord forgave them go and tell my disciples the Lord said and Peter and Peter and he said to Ananias that he would show Paul what great things must suffer for Christ's sake all friends the wonders of redeeming love and the work of Christ yea before the day was

[22:52] I am he and there is none that can deliver out of my hand I do like this word it's a sacred blessed word friends you and I from time to time have so many fears it's unbelief our God reigns he rules he has the hearts of all men in his hands we have proved it we have proved it in the word of God look at the soldiers at the sepulcher guarding the sepulcher to make sure that his disciples didn't come and take Jesus away but the angel of

[23:54] God came and they were powerless they couldn't move this is the power of our God friends and he is still the same today yea and there is none that can deliver out of my hand the Lord knows what he will do he knows what he will do with you and I and none can deliver out of his hand if the Lord has appointed that you and I have got to walk in a certain way in a pathway it may be in a flexion there's none that will deliver out of his hand remember friends that our

[25:19] God is the heavenly I can't think of the word I want physician if he's a good physician if he has appointed that you and I should walk in a certain affliction it won't matter what doctors or specialists may try and do they won't succeed if God has appointed it because friends he gives his children a cup to drink and we have to drink it we have to walk in it but friends it also we also might speak of it the other way there are times when we may come into some affliction but the

[26:49] Lord is pleased to deliver us out of it he is pleased to make a way of escape he may use that affliction to teach us something to open our eyes and then when the work of grace is done the Lord will heal oh friends how we need these things that we come into to be sanctified to us remember his blessed word he says in his word that all things all things work together for good to them that love

[27:54] God that's God's word and you and I often as we look at these things that we come into can't see how they can possibly work together for good we might say and feel it's too late now it might be concerning ourselves it might be concerning another but the Lord says regarding his children they shall come they'll come unto him the Lord will deliver them from the flesh and from the devil blessed be his holy name and there is none that can deliver out of my hand there is none that can deliver we have many fears regarding our nation and sin oh there's so many things that make us shower man has been given so much power and authority but friends all that we might remember our

[29:43] God reigns our God reigns he he can bring to confusion he can undermine the plans and schemes of men friends friends why I should say it I don't know but it comes into my mind regarding these a few days ago I think it was now when 58 was it souls were in that container airtight container they thought they was going to freedom they thought they was going to escape to a better land instead of that they all died they perished with the exception of two

[31:02] I believe they may still be alive they may live a few more years we know not but friends these things are in the Lord's hand or that it might be a voice to each of us how will it be with you and I when we come to the end of our lives we don't know what means may be used to bring it to pass but will it be well with us is our hope our only hope in a precious Christ have we been taught of the spirit and brought to know that we're poor lost ruined sinners in ourselves that we have failed failed in everything failed in our religion but he hasn't failed he'll never fail it is by grace you are saved through faith and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God and that's what you and I have got to prove we cannot do one thing toward the salvation of our souls it's give me

[32:45] Christ or else I die oh what a solemn account that is in the word of God of the foolish virgins we have as you know the wise virgins and the foolish virgins they all had a religion made a profession of religion it looked the same it looked the same they communed together they didn't see any difference in one another but friends how solemn it was when they came to the end of the journey it was revealed then that they had no oil in their lamps no oil in their lamps they had gone out and what is that oil in the lamp is it not the grace of

[33:59] God by grace you are saved they were lost they perished the Lord said that he depart from me for I never knew you I never knew you friends there's many today that have a religion they're proud of it they think they've got a God given faith they'll say to poor tried fearing sinners they should believe God they should believe in the word and so on but they don't know what it is to be tried and tempted they haven't got the grace of

[35:04] God in their hearts they're not born again they've got a borrowed religion oh friends what a solemn thing to have a borrowed religion that's one thing that I fear regarding the preaching of the word of God I don't want it to be borrowed I don't want it to be man's preaching I want it to be of God and friends we have to solely prove that if we are going to be used of God and preach his word we have got to be emptied and I'm sure our dear friend here with us knows what that is walks that pathway is made and I am made and all his servants will be made dependent on him

[36:19] Lord what wilt thou have me to do what wilt thou have me to say oh friends what a solemn thing it is to be emptied of self and yet how necessary it is if we are to be used of God for he is the heavenly potter and we are the clay and it's no good the clay is saying to the Lord the heavenly potter what doest thou and so on it's Lord what wilt thou have me to do and we need the Lord to give us grace that we might do it and leave it in his hands we often have fears

[37:20] I'm sure we all have these fears especially in the preaching of the word of God oft times we strength spent our strength for naught where is the fruit where is the Lord but friends we don't know we don't know where the word has gone bread cast upon the water shall be seen after many days the word of God tells us this and we have proved it proved it here and there oh how good the Lord is he gives his children just enough to keep their heads above water as it were you know what

[38:28] I mean Peter again remember remember how he and the other disciples were in the ship and they saw Jesus walking toward them in the darkness of the night on the water they couldn't believe it they thought it was a spirit they cried out in fear and the dear Lord Jesus responded immediately to their cries it is I be not afraid oh I think that's beautiful beautiful the love of Jesus was in that it is

[39:34] I be not afraid oh how how wonderful that would be if the Lord would come and speak those sacred words to us from time to time when we are afraid perhaps he has to some of you but remember the response Peter gave to it he said if it be thou bid me come unto thee on the water and the Lord said come come Peter clambered over the side and began to walk toward Jesus on the water yes he proved the almighty power of God but he feared he looked at the waves and the billows he took his eyes off of

[40:43] Jesus and he immediately he began to sink and he cried out unto the Lord save Lord and the Lord stretched out his hand and took hold of him praying Jesus is the same blessed God today and his children will come into these spots and places it is where they are tried and they will prove in these spots and places that that is where the Lord has stretched forth his hand he has delivered them he has spoken to them ah friends if only we could be rid of unbelief what an enemy what a great enemy that is to us and yet friends our God is faithful he is faithful for we have so many instances of it in the word of

[42:21] God of his faithfulness to his dear children and he knows where you and I are today he knows what we're in he knows the things that we fear oh that the Lord might come oh that he would go before or that we might see his wonder work in hand I will work and who shall let it oh friends that is what you and I want to see we want to see it in our lives we want to see it in our families we want to see it in the house of God we want to see it in our nations oh friends oh what sad solemn days we live in yet let us remember many things are spoken of and prophesied in the word of

[43:52] God regarding the last days and so we see these things are gradually being fulfilled in the midst well we must leave these few things or that we might be unable to consider God's word I will work and who shall let it we hope to try and speak a little of that this afternoon may the Lord bless his word to us and forgive all that has been amiss for his name's sake Amen H frees

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