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[0:00] Being in the Lord's heart, I'd like to attend this evening to the prophecy of Isaiah, reading from chapter 54, verses 9 and 10.

[0:12] Prophecy of Isaiah, chapter 54, verses 9 and 10. For this is as the waters of Noah unto me.

[0:24] As I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee nor rebuke thee.

[0:38] For the mountains shall depart, the hills be removed, and my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.

[0:58] For this is as the waters of Noah unto me. As I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so have I sworn that there would not be wroth with thee nor rebuke thee.

[1:17] For the mountains shall depart, the hills be removed, and my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.

[1:38] All scripture we read is given by inspiration of God and is profitable, for doctrine, for proof, for instruction, for correction, instruction in righteousness.

[1:52] I wonder how many of you here tonight can look back into your heart and trace a time, a moment, a season, a sermon, a hymn, a time of prayer, when the scriptures have been made profitable to you.

[2:25] A mind goes tonight to fifty years ago when I was a student and had some important exams before me.

[2:37] One morning about eight o'clock in my hall of residence I dropped on my knees and opened the scripture. Never shall I forget what I saw in the prophecy of Jeremiah it was this Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord and whose hope the Lord is.

[2:56] What a voice that was to me. What an influence it had upon my heart. What teaching lay in it came so quietly yet there was divine strength in it.

[3:16] And you know these scriptures of truth have been given for the profit of God's people in every generation.

[3:32] We read some of the old gospel standard and frequently when I pick up the gospel standard I look straight to the obituaries of God's people Oh what blessed experiences lie there of God's dear children what the Lord has said to them what he's done for them what marks he's left in their soul and as we look at these scriptures they are in the Spirit's hands the Holy Spirit's hands applied and they're to be applied in the hearts of his children there's no age barriers in there among an older life in whose heart the Lord works prove that the Lord speaks and uses the foolishness of preaching to feed their soul can you look back in your soul tonight to a time when the Lord has used the foolishness of preaching in your soul and what effect did it have there's one classic effect of the Spirit's the Spirit's blessing the ministry of his word and that is to soften a hard heart to warm a cold spirit bring a sinner near to Christ to hear his voice to have an indelible mark written on their souls which can never be erased it is the

[5:40] Spirit's prerogative to take the things of Jesus and to reveal them in the heart these scriptures are to be applied they are spoken in hours of need into the souls of his dear people come on goes to Joshua you know when the mantle fell upon his shoulder Israel Moses died the Lord spoke into his dear soul as I was with Moses so will I be with thee I will not leave thee nor forsake thee what a divine principle that is my sheep said Christ with utmost simplicity hear my voice and I know them and they follow me oh I ask you tonight have you heard the voice of

[6:46] Christ do you know him have you been led to follow him there is no better path in this world to walk in than following him it is a very sacred matter between the soul of a sinner and his God these things are hidden from the wise and prudent and revealed to both they are the work of God's spirit they'll be proved solemnly proved whom the Lord love he chasteneth and scourge every son whom he receiveth if you be without chastis but we're all a partaker then he baster and not son here's a proving

[7:48] God's word it is to be as the sowing of a seed there has to be a winter before harvest it has to weather the storms the cold the frost the ice before it is brought into the sacred warmth and springs forth but just as a seed contains life and man has never been able to create that life it is God who has created it so in the work of God's spirit that is divine life in the soul Imreta speaks of all of God's creation the wonders of it and the beauties of it and then he says this one strange work exceeds them all and it is this rapid work of God's spirit in the souls of his dear people

[8:54] I make those remarks in opening our text because here God is speaking by way of promise here we need these precious truths applied in our hearts oh where are we self satisfied self sufficient having no need or are we hungry have we a desire to belong to hear his voice to feel our need are we conscious of our poverty are we conscious of our sinful nature of our poor and corrupt nature are we conscious of it have we a desire after crying have we a hunger and thirst the Lord said blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled all that sacred hunger and thirst after

[10:01] God's righteousness that belongs solely and alone to one who is a sensible sinner sinner and here we see the sinner in this chapter the 54th chapter spoken of in the figure of a barren woman it is frequent that scripture speaks in figure we know well the song of Solomon the figure is christ the bridegroom and his church the bride we see it in the book of the revelation very beautifully we read the marriage supper of the lamb is come and the bride has made herself ready oh these precious figures the union of christ and his church spoken of in the song of

[11:02] Solomon my beloved is mine and I am here and here we see a poor sinner likened to barren woman there's no throat no child great sorrows and we see God dealing with his dear church his dear people and one word is written across this chapter it's this mercy mercy the lord enters in this chapter into an understanding of the fears and the shame and the sorrows the desolation that this poor sinner his dear church feels weakness grief mourning temptation barrenness deadness darkness inability to believe he looks down into this case and this is the subject of this chapter and regarding this character and all her barrenness the figure of the church of

[12:25] Christ he speaks to her sacred promises blessed promises divine teaching one of the most beautiful is this you can see the bride of Christ thy maker is thy husband a lord of hope it is now many years ago when I was just going out to preach exercised about the ministry ministry I spoke to a godly minister Mr.

[12:57] Griffith Vaughan and then the following week I was baptised the very night I was baptised that dear man of God suddenly died I asked the lord to show me what baptism was and the next week the following thursday I saw him laid to rest in the grave I saw the ordinance burial with Christ in baptism raised with him to newness of life oh what a glorious ordinance that is and how it speaks to God's dear church and you know his dying utterance was this dear wife told me his final words as he passed away were these my beloved is mine and I'm he all to die in the arms of Jesus know that our maker is our husband what a blessed natural bond that is between husband and wife no secrets there sweet communion one with another what a blessing whether it's in grace there is a union and we see it here the husband and the bride here there is a union and we come on to see in this union what lies in our text the

[14:42] Lord of hosts is his name thy redeemer the holy one of ish thy God the whole earth shall he be called the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit wife of youth when they was refused said thy God for a small moment have I forsaken thee for great mercies will I gather thee a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment but with everlasting kindness when I have mercy upon thee says the Lord thy redeemer and you know that is the same blessed example we have in the song of Solomon the bride of Christ searching for the bride going about the city mourning his absence desiring his presence seeking to hear his voice and in that pathway we now come to the gracious promise that is spoken by her husband to the bride and here it is and make her thy husband and he speaks to his dear children and what does he speak

[15:54] I tell you this consolation comfort or what precious comfort this is you know there lies here promises that are solid they're like a rock they can never be moved they're spoken into the heart of one who longs to feel a sacred security a blessed assurance precious hope sweet humble and all that's true religion dear friend true religion when the Lord speaks into the soul of poor sinner and there is a reality about that that is signed sealed and settled for eternity that the root of that is the origin of hope their hope springs out as a word of

[17:00] God spoken into the soul and here we have in our text tonight this blessed promise and this I will have mercy upon thee this is as the waters of Noah unto me for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee nor rebuked sin child of God taught by the spirit of God knows something of the wrath of God against their sin they know something of the work of God's spirit shining in their hands convicting and convincing of sin we know this to be so because the dear apostle says in his letter to the church at Rome there is now therefore no condemnation to them that are in

[18:03] Christ Jesus apostle Paul on that road to Damascus was under the wrath of God and his condemnation but all have he was delivered in a moment by a mighty power that stopped him and here we have a precious promise I'll speak for a moment about Noah men largely deny the flood they deny the fact that Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of the wild do you know the Lord Jesus Christ when here on earth as recorded in the twenty-fourth of the gospel of Matthew he speaks there of the days of Noah and how the son of man will come that at that day and hour knoweth no man not the angel of heaven but my father only but as the days of

[19:16] Noah were so shall also the coming of the son of man be whereas in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking and marrying and giving him marriage until the day that Noah entered into the ark and he knew not until the flood came and took them all away so shall the coming of the son of man be and you know as regards Noah as regards Jonah the Lord said this as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale so shall the son of man be three days and three nights in the belly of the earth shall we make Jesus a liar how Solomon his own return is likened to the world in the days of Noah and when we bring one these sacred truths and join them to another here this precious promise hinges on the fact of

[20:26] Noah and the flood what a blessed hinging that is we need the eye you see I heard a minister many years ago giving a bible study I was very struck by the principle that he drew from it it was this we don't need archaeology to excavate the walls of Jericho to know that they fell outward you see in Paul's epistle to the Hebrews we read of the work of God in that eleventh chapter by faith and by faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were compassed about seven days by faith the harlot

[21:30] Rahab perished not with them that believed not when she had received the spies with peace if we are taught of God what his words say we believe that is true faith in Jesus Christ we come to this word here in this precious promise as in the days of Noah and here in our text tonight this is the water of Noah unto me for as I have sworn the water of Noah should no more go over the earth and what a beautiful parallel that is what a mighty work that is look at the rainbow and always consider the covenant made between God and mankind we don't often do it our eyes are on the beauties of the colors but consider

[22:37] I set my bow in the cloud said the Lord as the flood subsided as a sacred sign of my sworn word that the water should no more go over the earth and that blessed promise seed time and harvest summer and winter day and night shall not fail to the son of man coming but you know that is a natural parallel here with a spiritual truth and a precious promise the Lord says as firm as my word is regarding Noah and the flood and the setting of that bow in the cloud so firm is my word to a poor sinner regarding his guilt and his sin and his condemnation and the Lord goes on to speak of this so have I sworn I should not be wroth with thee nor rebuke you know the apostle

[23:43] Paul who's led to the church at Ephesus speaks himself and others at Ephesus as being children of wrath that does not mean they were children of anger themselves it means they were children under the wrath of almighty god they were without hope and without god in the world oh when we hear the voice of the lord jesus speaking from heaven as he is here and as in his day wrote to Emmaus and all the scriptures he spoke that was the old testament the things concerning himself to those dear men so here he speaks how can the eternal god say he will not be wroth with his dear people oh when we look at the blessed truth we read it here tonight haven't we in this 53rd chapter oh how we see wrath of god descending upon his dear son in all its magnitude and why he was wounded says the church the bride of christ for our transgression not his own bruised for our iniquity the chastisement of our peace that is the punishment which produced our peace was upon him and with his stripes we heal oh how these truths dovetail together in the scriptures that truth the fifty the fifty-third of is paralleled here in the fifty-fourth chapter and you know there's a beautiful word in the fifty-third seek ye the lord i say i say it to you young ones here tonight that seek ye the lord this mighty redeemer who speaks here while he may be found a solemn warning we've had in the past few days that's number swept into eternity in a moment in life and in death in a moment or do you see that in the light of this world while he may be found beyond time in eternity he will never be found by a godless world oh how if we are to sing the anthem of glory given in the first chapter of the book of the revelation then we must learn it here under him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood then we shall be able to sing it there in his immediate presence that we have been washed and we've known his love and we've had this precious comfort in our hearts

[27:22] I'll not be wroth with thee nor rebuke thee the Lord said to the dying thief to die that shall be in paradise that was exactly the same as this I'll not be wroth with thee nor rebuke the dying thief had in fact been mocking Jesus when they were crucified they saved others they boasted it save thyself for all came the hour when eternal son of God revealed in the heart of a poor sinner peace precious peace has he revealed that peace to you do you long to know it are you searching for it do you want that peace which passes all understanding are not be wroth with thee you know there can be no more precious word than that spoken in the heart of a sinner there can't but it must be spoken individually and personally salvation is husband apart wife apart children apart it is indeed we do not learn the truth from our parents though they may teach us it is the spirit who is the great teacher and we must be taught by the spirit of truth we must have these precious truths applied in our heart our parents can direct us in the right direction but they cannot produce that mighty work of grace in our heart they can have an influence my late father used to say when we needed correction now my mother used to say you never rebuke them and I always remember his reply

[29:28] I don't need to rebuke them he said they know exactly what I think that went home far more than a rebuke we did know what he saw and you know when we come to this precious truth here all have the Lord extend upon his guilty people what compassion what love it is in the bonds of the eternal covenant if ye love me keep my commandment his dear people are drawn not driven they come under no legal obligation or duty they come in the warmth of the spirit of love oh dear

[30:35] Thomas Lord I knowest that I love thee loveest thou me since Peter he said it to loveest thou me more than these I knowest that I love thee do we come in that blessed vein let me come on to this text here the mountain shall depart the hills be removed but my kindness shall not depart from thee neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed says the Lord that has mercy on thee in that great day spoken of here in the mighty end of this world when the world will depart on fire the mountains shall depart the hills be removed an earthquake will be nothing to compare to that day the destruction of that day but the

[31:39] Lord is speaking of that day and in that solemn and awful hour and the figure lies here I believe of death in a dying hour this world will leave us and we shall leave it but all the blessed truth that lies here a solemn shaking we read of the things that can be shaken that those things which cannot be shaken may remind I say to you tonight have you anything sealed in your heart secretly that cannot be shaken you hope the Lord has spoken to you that will never be shaken the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed what an hour that will be and then in that hour solemnly we read one shall be taken to glory and another left they did not possess those things which cannot be shaken then we see a thing here that cannot be shaken my kindness simple isn't it divine nature as we look at it in its beauty and as we get older we see an increasing glory in it in its beauty and magnificence and in its simplicity the divine handiwork of god manifests all for eyes to see how many there are who seek to know the origin of things who come with a prejudiced view that there is no god but a child of god sees a glory and the handiwork of god in his majesty in the universe in its beautiful mathematical timing and precision in the handiwork of a divine creator not created by some explosion as men are trying now with their rockets to examine and find the origin of the universe but no they're blind but you see there is a truth here revealed to poor sinners my kindness shall not depart from thee there will be a destruction total destruction the worlds will depart on fire the lord will suddenly come to his temple says the scripture oh in that hour have as our friend and our advocate the eternal son of god to have known him here below and loved him walked with him communed with him prayed to him had his precious truth spoken into our soul what a truth that is isn't it my kindness shall not depart from thee you see when jesus speaks then we have these divine shalls and wills of scripture father he said i will you and i never prayed like that he did and him writer speaks of him with authority he asked enthroned in glory now and he did on earth at the last supper father i will those whom thou hast given me be with me where i am and into their souls he speaks by his spirit these sacred promises what a certainty lies in that word never i will never leave thee nor forsake thee my kindness shall not depart from thee neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed says the lord that hath mercy upon thee beautiful expression a covenant of my peace we see it in the words of the angels over the hills of

[36:18] Bethlehem when christ came in his incarnation and his entrance was heralded by the angels with the statement of truth on earth peace here was a god of peace sending his own dear son the healer of the breach and the restorer of the powers to dwell in to do his holy mind and will and on earth to bring peace not as the world thinks the world thinks of the end of war the end of sin the end of sorrow nothing like that peace between god and sin here is the peace in the peace speaking blood of the eternal son of god dutifully spoken of by jesus at the last supper my peace i give unto you my peace not as the world giveth give i unto you in the world you shall have tribulation but be a good cheer i've overcome the world tribulation will remain but there will be peace in tribulation the apostle knew it as he went to

[37:42] Rome to his martyrdom on that ship in the mediterranean there stood beside me this night an angel of god whom i am with whom i serve peace he was walking with his redeemer and this blessed peace centres on the eternal covenant between father son and holy spirit in eternity past whereby eternal son of god came in fulfillment of his father's love to his church god so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life he was sent into the world to bring peace to bear the sins of his dear church in his body on the tree and the peace speaking blood of christ was to be shed on calvary's cross i do ask you now do you know that peace speaking blood my peace i give unto you or have you known the peace of god which passes all understanding are you waiting for it i do believe this that a sensible sinner knows what he wants and knows when he receives it i believe that is true he knows what he's looking for and he knows when it comes to him i had a young nepali soldier back in 1987 in guhaca in the regiment guhaca here in england he was called by grey how very remarkably i said to him how did the law begin with you he said when i was about 14 or 15 in the hills in nepal i came into great darkness he said every one of the lads in the village was happy but i wasn't he said it was just as though i was in a dark tunnel didn't know what had happened to me but he said i felt that one day i had a hope i'll come out into the light and you know at that time there were only a hundred guhaca christians in the guhaca regiment out of 6,000 soldiers he joined the army came down to duran in the ganges valley and was put in the next bed to one of those christians who gave him a bible he said to me the moment he opened it and read it he knew this is what he had been waiting for i've been in contact with him ever since i'm in contact with him mostly by email he's now in africa passing through great trials great temptations but you know when the lord works there's an eternal covenant ordered in all things and sure and he leads his dear people into the peace of god which passes all understanding faith in that only sacrifice that did for sinner town to fix our eyes to cast our hopes on christ on christ alone oh to have these precious promises signed sealed spoken settled in our own hearts one promise will be sufficient to take you to glory it took a dying sea samson reached glory with one answer to prayer remember me this once only have you ever come to that throne of grace secretly quietly we're told to go into our closet and shut the door and pray unto our father which is in secret and he that hears in secret shall reward the opening blessed mercy see to come and beg for mercy and come with the language of one remember me for the favour that thou bearest unto thy people blessed truths then covenant of my peace shall not depart be removed saith the

[42:12] Lord and finally this word that has mercy on thee oh the whole work of grace in the heart of a poor sinner is an act of divine mercy and sinners are brought as Queen Esther was in the court of Ahasuerus going under the king and to come as she did if I perish I perish but there's nowhere else to flee my only hope my only hope is in me and wait the extension of that scepter of mercy to her and so the church feels for this is as the water of Noah unto me as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth so have I sworn that I will not be wroth with thee nor rebuke thee the mountains shall depart the hills be removed but my kindness shall not depart from thee neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed saith the

[43:29]  Lord and has mercy on thee Amen