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[0:00] as the lord may help this evening i will again direct your attention to the 48th psalm the 14th verse psalm 4 8 verse 1 4 for this god is our god forever and ever he will be our guide even unto death for this god is our god forever and ever he will be our guide even unto death it is with some reluctance that we feel we must leave the first part of this verse for this god is our god forever and ever though there have been but a few observations made in reference to it yet may we not say that we have may we not say that we have scarcely touched any depth in respect to the glory that is to be revealed in connection with it but whilst there is much unsaid may it please the spirit of god to lead your heart in secret meditation in respect to the god that you know and one as well said this god is the god we adore a faithful unchangeable friend if you have found him to be so then how good and how blessed it is and how good and how good it is to realize this that our best religion is in secret some of our best prayers have been offered in secret some of our unlimited prayers have been in secret where the eye of man has not seen and this is good because there can be no pride in secrecy because pride can only have a doubtless where there are others where there are others to observe it for this god is our god forever and ever perhaps before we leave it we should just notice this forever and ever you see any other gods are certainly of limited duration many people will have a god that they will die with them about this god that we pray profess before you and we trust may be known by you for this god is our god he is the god which is so forever and ever he has ever been he is and ever will be how presently is he described in the revelation who was and ever will be the same yesterday and today and forever and every one of those that are taught and led by the spirit of god will bear the same gracious revelation in respect to what they know of god and thus we are reminded and directed by the apostle paul in his epistle to the hebrews when he says in the thirteenth chapter remember them which have the rule over you who have spoken unto you the word of god whose faith follow considering the end of their conversation jesus christ the same yesterday and today and forever so from that we may clearly deduce that there is but one god yea one god and father of all one jesus christ one God and this God is the eternal God for this God is our God forever and ever but we must leave this part of the subject and come on to notice he will be our guide even unto death he will be our guide even unto death now this is inspired scripture we have many fears which try to prevail many suggestions of Satan which come into our mind if so be we may be unseated in relation to our faith but may we be able to shut our ears as it were to these other voices and there is there are a multitude of voices and to listen to this one voice which is the voice of truth he will be our guide even unto death as we have discoursed upon the previous part of the verse has there arisen in some of your hearts if not all of your hearts some knowledge of this God well what you have proved of this God as we have several noticed his being a refuge, a strength, a very present help in trouble this God as being the Lord of hosts and is with us and this wonderfully experienced and this wonderfully being the experience of God's people and that he is known in her palaces for a refuge this God who has demonstrated his great power and thus as the psalmist says in Psalm 145 we will talk of thy power this God of whom we endeavoured to speak this morning from the aspect of the Jesus Christ who loved me and gave himself and me oh if we have found this God in just these several aspects that we have enlarged upon to be our God then may it have raised in our hearts a little strengthening of hope an encouragement to our faith an enlargement of our love so that in between the services there might have been a little worship in our souls as we have secretly rejoiced in this God who doeth all things well then if we have part in that may we bear this in mind what God hath joined together let not man put asunder and this is joined to it he will be our guide even unto death our guide what does this bring before our eyes who needs a guide well we may perhaps consider two types of people people that need a guide the blind need a guide and the lost need a guide and we need especially to consider the character in this in such a word as this rather than to assume that it applies to all we know very well that if we were well familiar with a certain locality we should eschew any assistance that a guide may offer indeed we should feel insulted that a guide should even introduce himself and volunteer to show us the way and then again if we were not blind the same feeling of of a front would be felt in our hearts if we had a guide approach us and presume that we were blind when in effect we weren't so we need to be in a condition but it is a condition which God will bring into our hearts so that we shall need God for a guide perhaps we may say we are neither blind nor lost at the present moment wherein then can we expect to have a guide we were lost we were blind the man in the scripture said one thing I know well as I was blind now I see so you may be ready to say wherein is this need for a guide to such a person as that well the word of God makes it very clear that we walk by faith and not by sight and in that sense we shall need a guide all our life we cannot see with a natural eye we are called upon to walk the life of faith we cannot walk the life of faith and see our way clearly this is God's appointment and because of this whether we would describe ourselves as being blind whether we would describe ourselves as being lost and others would say well I'm neither lost now or blind now because

[10:45] God has found me God has opened my eyes yes but there's still the pathway of faith to be walked and you'll never be out of that and this will therefore give each and all of the children of God whatever be their phase of experience a necessity to have a guide he will be our guide even unto death when does this guiding start the psalmist was able to bear this sweet testimony thou hast been my guide from my youth some of us can say the same but you know there are times when guides are still there even though an individual may not be aware of it the information the council is fed through in such a way that the person takes notice of the council yet is unaware that it has been prompted from the mouth of a watchful guide and this may have its application may it not to some of our cases when we look back over the years when if we had heard the suggestion that we needed

[12:30] God for a guide we should have eschewed the whole thing dead in Christmas and in sins we should not have sought any guidance from God being quite sufficient of ourselves and so we prosecuted our own way well the years went on the time of calling case we realised that God was our guide when he found us in the waste harrowing wilderness what about the time before you were called was God never your guide in those days or was it like as I have suggested as though from some distance there was certain information fed into your mind you didn't know why you took a certain course you didn't want to take a certain course but nevertheless you did take a certain course and so because the Lord

[13:34] God had a favour towards you he was watching over you a long time before you sought him so we get the blessed words of John Kent when he says but see how heaven's indulgent care attends their wanderings here and there so there was a hidden guide keeping you within certain lines have we not reason to bless God the God of the old whole earth the God of whom we have been offering a few remarks until now have we not reason to give him much glory and much praise that he has been our guide as it were in this instance before we knew him yet he set us certain guidelines as we call them so for some reason or other we couldn't get outside them we tried and yet we had to say that

[14:40] God had hedged us in sometimes these guidelines have been an environment of the children of God and because they have been close to us there have been certain designs in our minds we can we have said oh I could not do that I'd love to do it I want to do it but I can't do it because of Mr so and so who's bound to see me and ask them awkward questions and God was setting you guidelines and keeping you within a certain compass now some of us have reason to bless God for his interposition in this we didn't realise the hell God was guiding our footsteps he will be our guide even unto death now as you look back now some of you here this evening are in what we may call a pathway of you now it's a good thing if you can say in humble testimony to God that God is your guide now can you see him as your guide in being where you are at the moment you see it's good for us to observe

[16:08] God's providence and who can tell that God has guided you to this place perhaps you don't know much about God yet you see Samuel we read concerning him I know he was a very young lad but it is said of him that he knew not yet the Lord yet God spoke to him and Sam can be in the same place if we were honest we would have to say I knew not yet the Lord didn't prevent God watching over Samuel it didn't prevent God from guiding his footsteps it didn't prevent God from calling unto him from heaven and saying Samuel Samuel Samuel him and so God was his guide from his youth now with all the people of

[17:14] God I believe we can say this that God has been their guide all through their life before they were called by grace God was guiding them they didn't know it they would have resented it if they had known it but he was guiding them by putting these guidelines as it were on either side of them it is hard for me to kick against the bricks and was the words of the Lord Jesus through Saul of Tarsus perhaps we have felt the bricks and now we have rebelled against the bricks we've been like a bullock and accustomed to the yoke we wondered why it was well if we're in that place now may the day come when you will see that you've been the subject of God's guidelines but if some of us can look back to those earlier days in our well shall

[18:14] I say reckless youth we can see how God guided our footsteps up to man he will certainly notice the certainties that are to be found in God's word he will be our guide even unto death now surely it will bring into your heart a deep sense of unworthiness and humility when God reveals to you that he still guided you when you rejected his guidance you see there is power in his guidance and power will always be the ascending factor however much you may exert your power you can only be successful when you come up against the lesser power but

[19:21] God is a great power but he's not just a power oh it would be dreadful if God was just a power but he's a power which is coupled with mercy now he will be our guide even unto death now we have spoken of youth perhaps we may consider youth as being the beginning of life or we may even go back to speak of childhood but the psalmist here looks forward to the end of his life and he looks forward to the day of his death and as he looks forward to the day of his death so there is a sweet and blessed assurance that he will be our guide even unto death now we have here something very similar to that which is recorded in the sixth verse of the twenty third psalm it is a verse which is sometimes misquoted the verse goes like this surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life it is perfectly true if we should say mercy and goodness have followed me but the psalmist didn't say that the psalmist looks forward and he says surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life we may bring this into line with this word he will be our guide even unto death the psalmist here is looking forward in just the same way that he was looking forward in the twenty third psalm but he was not looking forward in a fanciful way he was not embarking upon a voyage based on wishful thinking he was looking forward having proved the god upon whom he was depending for his future happiness for his successful conclusion to his life and when he came down to the gate of death then they would be about the gates into everlasting life you know some years ago

[21:51] I was preaching in the midlands and as I was walking along to the chapel the deacon told me of a man that he had visited just a few years before and when he visited him he said he was almost dying but he was in such a happy place and he said I'm falling into life I'm falling into life here he was passing out of this life but he was entering into it into eternal life into everlasting life oh how sweet a consideration when you come down to your deathbed to say I'm just falling into life falling into the arms of Jesus falling into the fullness which is in Christ Jesus I'm falling into life which is Christ blessed forevermore but how shall we get there oh perhaps we may consider the matter and say well according to the years of my life

[22:57] I have some years to go by the before we get to the expected life of man that is three score years and ten and if my reason strength maybe four score years yet is there strength labour and sorrow and we are soon cut off and it's a question of getting from here to there well now why should we be worried about a guy are we not able to watch the points very closely shall we not survive well we only need to look at one instance in order that we may see the warning light we go to the garden of gethsemane we see there the three disciples that were taken just that little bit farther with the Lord Jesus Christ but not all the way because he went a little farther still but we find that after being warned about watchfulness they fell asleep and the

[24:13] Lord said could you not watch one hour in the pilgrims progress we read of the pilgrims being attracted to an easier piece of ground if I remember rightly from along the by-bath meadow they came upon enchanted ground and they soon fell asleep well we may say no doubt they were tired and after all the word of God says that if he sleep he do well but there was a great danger you see Christian waking out of his sleep he got up and he progressed along the same way for a bit then he fell for something something very important that was the certificate that had been given him at the beginning of the way he couldn't find it he couldn't find it and we are subsequently told you see that it had dropped away from him it had fallen out of his pocket as it were in this comfortable harbour it looked so pleasant oh there's no need to worry about here

[25:34] I should be alright I've got my evidences closely wrapped up right in my heart I shall never be in such a place where I shall be in any question or doubt again but you see he got on this enchanted ground and alas he lost that which was so necessary to him so important to him how stressed he was when he found that he had lost it and so he had to retrace all his steps now this is just a little example I trust that will show you the importance of having a guide with us but let me notice this too that which I have mentioned already of this guide being over us during the days of our unregeneracy though we knew it not this guide was still looking upon poor old Christians and he's still looking upon you if you wander out of the way and if you get an enchanted ground and if you get caught up with something the eye of your guide is still looking upon you mind you

[26:45] Christian had to retrace his steps perhaps you had to retrace your steps in your religious life at times profitable steps though you seem to be losing all the way losing time in the race profitable steps he will be our guide even unto death now who is this well when he the spirit of truth is come he will guide you into all truth so the points that we have made relative to the first part of this verse may be as it were enlarged upon here as we may speak now of the blessed holy spirit who will be our guide and lead you into all truth now we need to know the truth why ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free but how shall you find the truth we shall not find it by our own diligence because it is hidden truth hidden truth it is referred to in the word of god as head treasure how many times have you looked through the scriptures you wanted to find out the truth about some particular doctrine that had been set before you you wanted the chapter and verse for it and yet it was so elusive it what did you want why couldn't you find it well you wanted the holy ghost that's why you couldn't find it because god was determined that you should seek unto the spirit of truth he will take the things of jesus and show them unto you and there is much truth to be revealed to the people of god they cannot be satisfied with merely asking the question as

[29:08] Pilate did what is truth and then not being further concerned oh there are many people in the world today that are quite willing to let the answer be an unanswered answer we may express it like that not concerned about the answer to that question but if you're born again of the spirit you'll be concerned about that question what is truth what's the truth about god what's the truth about his salvation what's the truth about my soul to eternity tremendous town where shall i spend eternity so we want to know the truth how shall we find it out we shall find it out by the lord god sending his spirit to guide us into all truth but in the chapter that we read the 73rd psalm we read this wonderful verse there will guide me with thy counsel and afterward receive me to glory now this man was looking beyond the day of his death is that where we are looking or are we looking only to the day of her death asaph was looking beyond the day of his death and he said thou will guide me with thy counsel and after lord receive me to glory now what is the counsel of god well it is a counsel that will stand and it is a counsel which is the truth and it is a counsel which you will ultimately receive if you kick over the traces now it is a counsel which will speak to you with time sometimes in our path we are concerned our daily life brings us into concerns sometimes

[31:29] I make a sudden stop and know not which path to take and cannot see the way cleared up and what do we do from there Jesus then I speed my way to tell my dubious case and listen what the lord will say and hope to follow that now do we know that kind of experience what is our present way well now we aren't going to put you on a high flame this evening because it's what God is doing for you your present way may be in respect to something very personal very personal it may have reference to personal relationships matrimonial relationships family relationships it may refer to business decisions it may refer to things in the church things in the denomination how often we come to a stop a sudden stop why do we come to a sudden stop because if we examine it we shall find this it's necessary for us to come to a sudden stop we make great strides by day and afterwards we find we've quite mistook the way that's what mr hart says we need to come to a sudden stop who brings us to a sudden stop is it not god that brings us to a sudden stop when he brings you to a sudden stop bear this in mind could it not be that he was guiding you with his counsel he was bringing you to a halt and how often we have to be reminded that we cannot go on at this pace for the word of god declares and this is the counsel of god he that believe it shall not make haste and you know friends god's way is often much slower than we think it is oh it is

[33:57] I remember going back some years now time may be permitted this personal note a minister spoke to me first man that spoke to me really about going forth to preach I've then been exercised about this matter secretly for 17 years and he said to me well nobody can say that you've rushed into the matter nobody can say that you would run before you're sent well this man really if I may say so wasn't very wise because he put his hand to the works and two or three days after I had a letter inviting me to go preach at a certain place well you know this made me tremble and this caused me much exercise before God and though it may surprise you

[35:16] I got my greatest peace of mind when I felt led to reply to the deacon after a week and tell him I felt I couldn't go pointing out that it would be a solemn thing for me to stand in his pulpit and for him to have me in his pulpit unless I was persuaded that God was in it another three years passed by friends before God sent me forth to preach in the right and proper way now how many would say well 17 years dear you cannot be hastening oh you've been so you've been waiting for God for a long time how we need God to give us this counsel from heaven and to say even after 17 years still wait still wait we see poor old

[36:26] Abraham don't we in a sad place here he had the promise of God now you'll have a son he waited 13 years and he was under the same kind of temptation people would have said well 13 years you've waited all this time you cannot be accused of hastily going on presumptuously proceeding surely 13 years is long enough for anybody to wait it was only about half the time he's got to carry on another 12 or 13 years 25 years in all before God brought his promise to pass so we need God to guide us with such counsel as this he that believeth shall not make haste he will are you afraid of making haste is there something in your life that is very much vexing you and you say I can't hold out much longer

[37:35] I must go we must do something oh yes that's the devil telling you that make no mistake about it I have proved my friends to my bitter experience that whenever you are prompted to do things in a hurry the devil's behind it and it brings you into a great deal of distress and upsets everything oh that we may have this counsel of God then speaking unto us and saying he that believe it shall not make haste but perhaps some will be saying already well this is all very well but we should never get things done if we carry it along this line of things be assured friends we shall need the counsel of God here he will be our guide guiding us with his counsel do we not read the the the word from time to time in the scripture when

[38:52] God tells his people to arrive perhaps I may mention this word the time when God finally says to me that the time has come he spoke to me these words thou therefore gird up thy loins and arise and speak unto them all that I command thee be not dismayed at their fates lest I command thee before them and so on you see friends that was God's time and that was counsel to go forward and the same thing will apply in your life that God will give you counsel to stand still and he did this to the people of Israel didn't he he said stand still and see the salvation of the Lord in the 46th time we read be still and know that I am God but there are other occasions when God says arise as he did in the time of Ezra arise this matter belongeth unto thee then we are to arise and go forward and in the case of the children of the

[40:07] Red Sea God said command the people that they go forward there was no hanging back then where the word of the king is there is power and the king's commandment demands haste he will be our guide even unto death well the time has almost gone for us this evening and we've only directed your attention really to one aspect of God's counsel about it will be counsel that you will continually need throughout life's journey when to go and when to stay where to go and how long to stay there and it's all under the sovereign control of God and it will take you down we are assured from this scripture and if any of you here this evening are troubled you're getting near the end of your days and you're greatly afraid you turn over the pages to that psalm which says now as I am old and grey headed forsake me not has everybody else forsaken you then foes all unite and friends all depart what a place to be in but God says I will never leave thee nor forsake thee so that we may boldly say the Lord is my helper what can man do unto me that's

[41:51]  God's counsel God's counsel he will he will be our guide giving us counsel even unto death and afterwards receive us the glory well may the Lord enlarge this subject in your hearts how little by comparison has been said about it that God can cause a seedstone to bring forth fruit some 30 some 60 and some 100 fold now God than other to Hij