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[0:01] I ask you to turn this morning to the book of the prophet Ezekiel and chapter 1. Ezekiel and chapter 1.

[0:12] We look at verses 15 to 18. Ezekiel chapter 1 and verses 15 to 18. Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures with his four faces.

[0:33] The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the color of a burial. And they four had one likeness. And their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel.

[0:48] When they went, they went upon their four sides. And they turned not when they went. As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful.

[1:01] And their rings were full of eyes round about them. For we look to these verses in the book of Ezekiel.

[1:14] Ezekiel, who was the prophet of the exile, the Babylonian captivity. He was granted various visions.

[1:26] And in his book there are those warnings to the Lord's people. And there are those prophecies connected with other nations.

[1:38] But especially there are those many prophecies of Messiah. And those things written which look to the day of the gospel.

[1:50] And to the establishment of gospel churches in the earth. It is, I suppose, comparatively an unfamiliar book.

[2:01] Certainly we are less familiar with Ezekiel, I'm sure, than many other books of scripture. It is a difficult book in many ways to understand.

[2:13] And yet it is such a rich book to those that take the trouble. And to whom God graciously grants understanding and perception.

[2:24] May it be that as we look to this little opening part of it. That God will bless us this morning. And let's seek that which will be the word of God to us in our circumstances.

[2:40] And not only our individual circumstances. But as we find ourselves in the world this day. And the world so full of great commotions and turmoils.

[2:53] We see in these opening verses then. The initial vision given to the prophet Ezekiel.

[3:05] And it is perhaps worthy of a comment. Unstrangely significant. That this man who was among the captives by the river of Kebar.

[3:16] Who saw the heavens opened and visions of God. And when you attempt to locate that place. You probably find that it must have been no great distance from the city of Baghdad.

[3:29] Which is so much in the news. And I was brought to meditate a little on that. Here is the place that we are hearing so much about. And yet these circumstances in the distant past.

[3:41] Past this man receiving visions of God. The heavens opened. And visions of God. Very much like John.

[3:51] That in the book of Revelation. Employs so much of what Ezekiel had been given. And draws it out in its gospel application.

[4:02] John in the spirit. On the Lord's day. Also in exile for the faith. In the isle of Patmos. But given those great revelations.

[4:12] To record and write to men. Well there is this opening vision. Of the whirlwind of fire. The presence of God.

[4:23] The theophany. The declaration of divine presence. And then those four living creatures. And if we had time to look at all the chapter.

[4:36] We would see above them. As on a sort of platform. That they seem to support. There is that firmament. And upon that there is the throne. Of God.

[4:47] And there is that great wonder. In the end of the chapter. Wonder as it was given to Ezekiel. And through Ezekiel. To those of the ancient church.

[5:01] So taken up with the oneness of God. And the spirituality of God. There is that view of the appearance of a man upon the throne.

[5:14] We were looking last Lord's day evening. At Christ raised. And in heaven. And with that same body. And bones. With which he hung and suffered upon the cross.

[5:27] There is a man in glory. That is the prince and the savior. To give repentance unto Israel. And it is so wonderful. When we see this displayed.

[5:39] Even there in the book of Ezekiel. That upon that throne. There is the appearance of a man upon it. But here is the little one.

[5:50] The four living creatures. In their extraordinary form and fashion. And the fire in the midst of them. Symbolizing still God's activity.

[6:01] God's presence. God's will being brought to pass upon the face of the earth. We are looking to the wheels. There in the passage.

[6:13] Beginning at the 15th verse. As I beheld the living creatures. Behold one wheel upon the earth. By the living creatures. With his four faces.

[6:23] And then there is this description of these wheels. The wheel in the middle of a wheel. The two wheels bisecting each other. So that it can go in all directions.

[6:37] And then the rims of the wheels. In verse 18. So high that they were dreadful. And along the rims. The edges.

[6:47] Of these great wheels. There are these eyes round about them. All four wheels. And moving.

[7:00] And with these eyes about the rims. Now how are we to understand these things? We are to understand them of God's presence.

[7:11] And God's rule. Amongst. Men and nations. Sovereignty even. Over angelic beings.

[7:22] We are to understand. God's administration of his creation. God's providence. Over all that he has made. The working out of his will. In these things.

[7:33] And especially in respect. Of the church. Now let us seek to draw. A number of. Lessons.

[7:45] As the Lord helps us. From this passage. We are brought to think of the administration. Of God. In the earth. And through all time.

[7:56] As it is set before us. In the likeness of a wheel. God's providence. Is likened. To a wheel. Behold. One wheel upon the earth.

[8:08] By the living creatures. With his four faces. The wheel. As it were a wheel. In the middle of a wheel. When they went. They went upon their four sides. And they turned not.

[8:19] When they went. As for their rings. They were so high. That they were dreadful. And their rings were full of eyes. Round about them. The wheel. Turning. Suggests.

[8:30] Many things. Suggests. Certainly. How. Our planet. Goes round. With the other planets. The sun. It suggests to us.

[8:41] Rotation. The rotation of the earth. Upon x axis. And we have day. And night. And seed time. And harvest. And summer. And winter. And cold. And heat.

[8:52] Suggestive of. Of this. Which is God's purpose. And all things. Fulfilling God's law. As he has set them in the place. Suggestive too. Of life.

[9:02] Itself. Life is like. A wheel. We have our. Different cycles. We have our. Childhood. And we have our.

[9:13] Manhood. And our. Middle age. And then. Old age. And this. Generation. After generation. The wheels. As they run. Through the earth. Seem to describe.

[9:24] The generations. Of men. And the cycle. Of man's. Human. Existence. Within. A lifetime. There are all those. Changes. As.

[9:35] We. Live our lives. We are subject. To those. Changing. Circumstances. This is true. Of individuals. In their experience. It is true. Of nations. In world. History.

[9:46] But in. The experience. Of the individual. A man. May be poor. And then. As. There is that. Change. In circumstances. As the wheel. Seems to turn. He may.

[9:57] Be bettered. He may be raised. From his poverty. Another. Who has known. His riches. May be. Brought. Down. As the. Wheel. Of his experience. Turns. He may be brought.

[10:08] To that place. Of law. Of loss. You think. Of Pharaoh's. Dream. That Joseph. Was given. Wisdom. To interpret. Of the seven. Years.

[10:19] Of plenty. But what followed. The seven years. Of plenty. There were the seven. Years. Of dearth. And famine. It is the wheel. Turning. You think of your cycle. Wheel. For.

[10:30] That which is a common. Enough wheel. In our thinking. You think of the. Valve. And you sometimes. As you look at it. Find that it's there. At the top. And then.

[10:40] The next time you look at it. You see that it's at the bottom. And it is so. Expressive to us. Of the. Wheel of life. The cycle. Of our. Existence.

[10:52] And there is. That which seems to be at the top. And then it's brought to the bottom. And yet that which is at the bottom. Is brought to be at the. Top. May we alternate.

[11:02] Between strength. And weakness. We are. In joy. And we're in sadness. We are those. That are confident. And we are fearful. There is this circle.

[11:13] Of experience. And we are to see. Our own. Lot. As. It is in this. Great. Picture. This vision. Given to Ezekiel.

[11:24] Of the. Wheels. That went in. All. Directions. They went. Upon their four sides. And they turned. Not. When they went. Experience is.

[11:34] Always changing. That's why we should be. Ever careful. We should never think. That we. Have reached a condition. That we may. Never leave. That him that thinketh.

[11:45] He standeth. Take heed. Lest he fall. That we not often proved. In our own experience. When we have thought. That we have become secure. That we have reached that. Place. Where now.

[11:56] Things will be well for us. And the difficulties. Have been surmounted. And the. Place. Which we. Dreaded. Has now been. Past that corner.

[12:06] Has been turned. We think that we'll be secure. And then we find. That we are again. Moving. And we are brought into. Another sequence. And again. We are brought into.

[12:17] That place of difficulty. And once again. We come. Up against those things. That we can. Dread. We are to take heed. We are to be. Those that are.

[12:27] Ever looking to God. And we are to remember. That in the very changes. God's. Will is being. Outworked. And the one. Who is down.

[12:37] May soon be up. Or then. Let us humble ourselves. Under the mighty hand. Of God. That in due season. He may exalt us. There is that.

[12:49] Changing experience. In the wheel. As it turns. And as it rolls. And it goes. Hither. And thither. And yet. For all. That the wheel. Of providence. Is revolving.

[13:02] There is. That certainty. With regard. To its. Center. These wheels. The wheel. Within a wheel. The wheel. That bisected. The other wheel. And these. Whirling.

[13:13] Wheels. As they're moving. To and fro. In all directions. Through the earth. They. They have a constant. Center. And we have a constant.

[13:23] Center. And the center. Is that will. Of God. And we believe. As we look upon. The nations. Of the earth. We are. Those that are not. Subscribing. To that view.

[13:34] That will be the view. Of many. Locked in combat. In the Middle East. The Islamic view. Of sheer fatalism. What will be. Necessarily. Will come to pass. Blind faith.

[13:44] They say. That the. The dictator. Seemed to have his mind. Made up. That it was. Now. According to the will. Of Allah. That whatever. Lay ahead.

[13:55] It was too late. To make any change. What a view. That is. That is not our view. That is not the view. Of the will. Of God. Which is revealed.

[14:06] In scripture. To us. That is sheer. Fatalism. That is simply. To say. That there is a will. Which is all powerful. And cannot. Be contained. Nor restrained.

[14:17] But our. View is that. There is a center. Which is the center. Of God himself. God is the center. One of the old. Writers. Said that.

[14:27] God's circumference. Is everywhere. But his. Center is. Nowhere to be seen. Because God is spirit. But God. Is the center. Of all his. Creation.

[14:38] And God. Who is the center. Is that God. Who is good in himself. Good. Is God. And we. Know. As the apostle. Discloses it to us. In the light.

[14:49] Of covenant. Mercy. That God. Is love. The center. Then. Of the circle. The center. Of the. Wheels. That express. God's. Administration. And activity.

[14:59] Through the generations. And the earth. Is not just. Blind force. But it is. Benevolent design. It is the God. Of love. And the fulfillment. Of loving. And gracious.

[15:10] Purposes. Towards. His people. And at the center. Of all things. Is God's. Will. Towards. His people. The father's love. To the people. Of his choice.

[15:21] The center. Of all things. Is the lamb. Slain. From the foundation. Of the world. God. So. Loved the world. That he gave. His only begotten son.

[15:32] That whosoever. Believer than him. Should not perish. But have. Everlasting life. The center. Of it all. Is the spirit. Of God. That makes. God's.

[15:43] Presence. Meaningful. To us. That brings. Christ. Even to us. And all that happens. As to be. Viewed in the light of this. Romans 8. 28.

[15:53] We know. That all things. Work together for good. As the wheels. Roll. As God's. Providence. Is displayed. Throughout the whole earth.

[16:04] And through the whole of. Time. There is that fixed. Center. The center is God. Though we see. Not God. Yet. We know that God.

[16:15] Is. Spirit. And God. Is center. And God. Reigns. And God. Rules. And all of. History. Is according to God's. Gracious. And loving.

[16:26] Purposes. Especially. Towards. His people. And his promises. I will. Never. Leave thee. Nor. Forsake thee.

[16:36] Whatever. The wheels. Of providence. May roll. And as it were. Seem to take us. And whether we be up. Or down. In darkness. Or in light. In sorrow. Or in rejoicing.

[16:47] He is the same. Jesus Christ. Is the same. The spirit of God. Bringing. The one. By whom all things are made. And by whom. All things consist. Into the very.

[16:59] Lives. And experience. Of his people. I will never leave thee. Nor forsake thee. Providence. Is like the.

[17:09] Wheel. Our lives. Are like the. Wheel. Or the wheel. Sets before us. How our. Lives. Are continually. Moving. There's continual. Change. Experience. Always changing.

[17:20] But then. There is. For all the. Change. In the wheel. The turning of the wheel. There is that fixed. Center of the wheel. But also. As the wheel. Rapidly. Revolves. And you think of your.

[17:31] Bicycle wheel. Again. In the. Picture. In your mind. When the wheel. Rapidly. Revolves. You only see. The rim. You don't. See. The spokes.

[17:42] You don't see. The center. It's when. You stop. The wheel. When you apply. The brakes. And the wheel. Comes to rest. That you see. The individual spokes.

[17:52] And all the. Crisscrossing. Of them. And I remember. As a boy. With a. Bicycle. The. The difficulty. Of cleaning. The bike. When one desired. To clean it. Thoroughly. The great.

[18:03] Difficult part. Of it. Was going through. All the spokes. And cleaning them. There were so many. Of them. But when the wheel. Was turning fast. They. You didn't see them. You only saw. The. The rim.

[18:14] The tire. Going round. And there is a picture there. Towards of the. The wheel. You do not understand. All the different parts. Of. Of. What God is about. But they are.

[18:25] All in their place. They are all. According to his provision. They are all. According to his appointment. The detail is. Is not always seen. But there is.

[18:36] That. Which is. Still. The accomplishment. Of his purpose. And we believe. That even when the detail. Is not seen by us. God. Knows what the detail is.

[18:47] Even when we don't. See. In the. Turning of our cycle. Wheel. The individual spokes. We believe. They're there. We believe. That they meet in the center. If it were not so. The wheel would not be functioning.

[18:59] If it were not. That our lives. Were under. God's. Sovereign. Care. And disposition. If it were not. That in him. We live and move. And have our being. Then where would we be.

[19:10] We believe. That though we may not. See all the component. Parts. As they relate. One to another. Yet. God's purpose. Is fulfilled. God is. Working. And as the wheel.

[19:22] Turns. It is. Turning on that. Axis. It is. Turning on that. Loving. Purpose. And intention. Of God. And. There are all those things. That cause it to be so.

[19:33] And. There. We. Come. To the place of trust. Where we see. Not. The detail. We trust that God. Knows the end.

[19:44] From the beginning. And that he. Has that loving purpose. And that loving. Pattern. There's a symmetry. About it. There is that. Which he is designing. There is.

[19:55] That which is. All in its place. Place. Now what. We cannot. Understand. Sometimes. Is how these things. Can. Fulfill God's purposes.

[20:07] But as the wheel turns. They do fulfill God's purposes. And they. Teach us. Concerning the one. That knows. The end. From the beginning.

[20:19] And the beginning. From the end. And such. Is the God. In whom. We trust. We are to come. With all our. Experience. In all its. Richness.

[20:29] And in all. That we might judge. Its. Poverty to be. We are to come. With all that we are. And we are to seek. That we might trust. In the purpose of God. In the sure. Purpose of God.

[20:42] And that purpose of God. Centered. Of course. In Christ. If. You cannot trust God. In a meaningful sense. Unless there be. That knowledge of Christ. For it is Christ. That discloses God.

[20:53] To us. How do we know the Father. Say through the Son. That reveals him. To us. May it be. That because. We have come. To know the Son. That we. Are those.

[21:03] That trust. In the purposes. Of God. And so. Though. We may or may not. See the. Individual. Development. Of our living.

[21:14] And the pattern. Of our lives. That we might trust. That there is that. Ongoing of divine purpose. All things. Without exception. Working together. For good.

[21:24] To them. That love. God. And there is no. Going back. Either. Because we are told. Of the wheels. In the 17th verse. They turned not. When they went. They didn't go back.

[21:35] They didn't return. Because of their. Construction. The one. Across the other. They can go in all directions. But they never go backwards. History never goes backwards. We learn from history.

[21:47] We learn from the past. In the present. If we've got wisdom. But we. And we may repeat. In the present. Some of the mistakes. Of the past. Or we may avoid. Some of the mistakes. Because we've learned.

[21:58] The lessons of the past. But history. Never goes back. Experience. Never goes back. You can't put you. Your lives. Back to where they were. We spend much. Of our time. The older we grow.

[22:09] I'm sure. Thinking what it was like. So many years ago. And how. We could have done differently. We could have done. Probably. Better. As I said the other night to you. Perhaps we wouldn't have done.

[22:20] Even as well as we did then. Because. We. Are so weak. And so fallible. But whatever. We cannot go back. We may speculate.

[22:31] How things could have been. But we cannot. Go back. There is no turning. Back. There is that moving. On. God's purposes. Are moving on. And he.

[22:43] Does not go. Back. Either with us. And that is why. We believe. Concerning. The salvation. All of grace. That it is that. Which goes. On. To its glorious conclusion.

[22:53] It cannot go back. The gifts. And the calling of God. Are without repentance. There is no shadow. Of turning. Without God. He will never go back. On that. Good thing.

[23:04] Which he has. Eternally. Resolved to do. In the saving of sinners. He will never. Go back. On. The administration. Of the covenant.

[23:14] The covenant. Is ordered. In all things. And sure. We believe. In the final. Perseverance. Of the saints. That none of those. Who are Christ's. Will ever be. Other than that. See.

[23:26] To say. That there will be. True believers. That will be lost. And turn away. And fall. Ultimately. Is virtually. To say. That you can go back. That there is a. A reversal. Of all the things.

[23:37] That God has decreed. And appointed. But there is no reversal. There is no returning. And in. The wheel. Of the covenant. And in. The progression.

[23:47] Of covenant. Mercies. As they are disclosed. To us. As they are. Experienced by us. As they go on. To fulfill in us. All their gracious. Purposes. There is.

[23:59] That from which. We can never be parted. We are those. That are based. Upon that love. Which is central. Underneath. The everlasting. Arms. Of God's.

[24:09] Love. Eternal. God is our refuge. God at the center. And God's. Love. About us. We know that all things. Work together. For good. There can be no reversal.

[24:20] Of it. There can be no going back. And we've got to remember that. Even when the prophets. Of doom. Declare that. There is going to be. This and that. On the end of things.

[24:31] As we know them. On the drying up. Of all the resources. And the means. Upon the earth. God's purposes. Are those purposes. That cannot go back. They go on. And these purposes.

[24:41] Are to new heavens. And a new earth. In which dwell righteousness. There are those. Things of which. We know. But little. And sometimes. What we read. Is a great.

[24:52] Mystery. To us. But yet. It is always. A forward. It is always that God. Has the last word. The last word. In this. Great. War. In the.

[25:03] Weaponry. As we could. Scarcely. Have imagined. Possible. Not many years ago. And we don't know yet. The ramifications of it. And who will be involved. And what will happen. But there can be no going back.

[25:15] On the purpose. Of God. And his. Control. Over men. And nations. He is a sovereign God. And he is working. All things.

[25:26] Together for good. My view of the. The future. And my view of a lot of the. Things that are. Brought to us. And the. Alarms that are sounded. Is that we've never.

[25:36] To take our eyes off God. And if you look. To these things. If you look. To the melting. Of the ice caps. And to all those other things. You'll soon be. In. A depressed condition.

[25:48] But we look to God. And I don't believe. That the world. As we presently know. Will always be like this. And I look to God. Who is working. All things.

[25:58] He is heading up. All things. As we read in Ephesians 1. To that great. Consummation. Heading up. All things. In Christ. And he.

[26:08] In that day. Will have the. Glory. We never. Go back. And we thank God. That for the child. Of God. There is no. Falling away.

[26:19] He is not one. That because of circumstances. Because. Those against him. Are more powerful. Than he is. Then he will be forced. To slacken his grasp.

[26:29] It's not my grasp. On Christ. It's his grasp. On me. And he says. That his sheep. Hear his voice. And they shall never perish. Neither shall any man. Pluck them.

[26:40] Out of his hand. Well these some. Thoughts on the. Wheels. That seem to exemplify. God's sovereign. Activity. In the earth. And on the.

[26:51] Basis of his. Love towards his. People. But then. You notice the. Linkage with the. Angelic beings. Now the living. Creatures. I. Interpret as being.

[27:03] The. Angelic beings. Probably. The. Cherubim. Well not probably. Certainly the. Cherubim. And for. This. Reason. Not because I.

[27:14] Can cite. Fairbairn. Or some of the. Great commentators. On the book. As my authority. But because the word of God. Tells us that. And this is of course. The greatest.

[27:25] Test. Of. All interpretation. We interpret. In the forefront. Of. Our rules of interpretation. We must take what the word of God. Says itself. And when you turn to.

[27:36] Ezekiel 10. The 10th chapter. Of Ezekiel. And to the 20th. Verse. You are the interpretation. Here are the cherubims.

[27:47] Lifting up their wings. And. Mounting up from the earth. Ezekiel says. In my sight. I'm on the. 19th verse. When they went out. The wheels also were beside them.

[27:59] And everyone stood at the door. Of the east gate. Of the Lord's house. And the glory of the God of Israel. Was over them above. This is the living creature. That I saw. Under the God. Of Israel.

[28:09] By the river of Kebar. And I knew. That they were the cherubims. Everyone had four faces. A piece. And everyone four wings. And the likeness of the. Hands of a man.

[28:21] Was under their wings. And the likeness of their faces. Was the same. Faces which I saw. By the river of Kebar. Their appearance. And themselves. They went every. One of them.

[28:32] Straight. Forward. And I say. That these living. Creatures. And they would seem to be. The same. As in the. Fourth of. Revelation. In the fourth.

[28:43] Chapter of Revelation. There is. Taking up. Of this. Vision. That was afforded. To Ezekiel. There at. Kebar. And there are again. These. Living creatures.

[28:54] They are translated. Beasts. In the. New Testament. In the authorised version. The four beasts. Full of eyes. Before and behind. The first beast. Like a lion.

[29:04] The second. Like a calf. The third. As a man. And the fourth. As a flying. Eagle. These living creatures. The cherubim. We believe in. Angels. Do we not believe in angels?

[29:16] And the ministry of angels. The ministration. Of angels. Is clearly taught. In the word of God. In Old Testament scripture. In New Testament scripture. We have those.

[29:27] Angels. In the Old Testament. The law was given. By. Angels. There was an angel. Accompaniment. To the giving of the law. When Sinai. Smoked.

[29:38] And the earth. Quaked. And Moses. Was given. The words. Of the commandments. There were. Angels. Angels. In the Old Testament. That came.

[29:48] And did. There were angels. Previous. To the giving of the law. There were angels. That hasted. A lot. From Sodom. That he might not. Perish. In the judgment.

[29:59] Of that wicked place. In the New Testament. You have angels. You have the archangel. Gabriel. Who comes. To Mary. To declare. That which will be done. To her. There are the angels.

[30:11] That ministered. Even to. To Christ. The angels. Are all around. The life of Christ. His birth. His continuings. Through those. Years.

[30:21] When he. Lived that sinless. Life. And lived it. For his people's sake. There are angels. View those things. To do with the. With death. There was an angel. Strengthened him.

[30:31] In the garden. Of Gethsemane. There are those angels. That desire. To look into these things. With wonder. Concerning the redemption. Of those of Adam's. Sinful race.

[30:42] There are. Many. Many references. To the angels. You know that. From time to time. I've ministered. On the angels. In this church. We should see.

[30:53] These things. We cannot see. Angelic beings. But if we could see them. Might we not. Be surprised. At the proximity. And the prevalence.

[31:05] Of angelic beings. That are there. To do us. Good. Remember. The case. In the. Day. Of Elisha. The prophet. When. The king. Sent.

[31:15] Those. To take. Elisha. In the city. Of Dothan. They learned. That he was there. They wanted. To apprehend him. And the king. Sent horses. And chariots. And the great. Host.

[31:26] And when. Elisha's servant. Came out. In the morning. He was surprised. He was terrified. To see such a great. Company. A host. Encompassing the city.

[31:37] With horses. And chariots. Alas. He says. My master. How shall we do? And he answered. Fear not. For they that be with us. Are more than they that be with them.

[31:49] And Elisha prayed. And said. Lord. I pray. Did he open his eyes. That he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes. Of the young man. And he saw. And behold. The mountain. Was full of horses.

[32:00] And chariots of fire. Round about Elisha. And if we had our eyes opened. As that young man's eyes were opened. We might well see that. Which would surprise us.

[32:11] And we should never. You see. Think that God. Is limited. In the implementing. Of his purposes. As the wheels. Move. They move. In conjunction. With the living beings.

[32:21] God's activity. Is not. An activity. That is limited. In any sense. He has his. He has his angelic beings. To do his bidding. The wonderful end.

[32:32] To the 103rd Psalm. Brings out. Those. Ministering spirits. Those that serve. God. That keep his commandments. That serve him. Day and night. And we have.

[32:43] The New Testament. Comment. Are they not all. Ministering spirits. That minister. To those. That shall be heirs. Of salvation. Never forget. The angels.

[32:54] Never forget. The angels. We don't worship angels. We don't believe. That holding to a doctrine. Of angels. That in any way. Disparages. The power of God himself. That he uses angels.

[33:05] We give God. The glory for it. Just as he uses. Poor creatures. Like ourselves. In the publication. Of the gospel. It does not mean. There's a limitation. Upon God. That he does so.

[33:16] It magnifies. The wisdom of God. That he shows us. Such a God. That he's pleased. To accomplish his purposes. With the most. Impotent of instruments. The treasure hid.

[33:27] In earthen vessels. That the excellency. Of the power. May be of God. And not of men. Don't rule out the angels. We. We do not disparage God. By believing.

[33:38] In angels. The scripture teaches. The presence. And existence. Of angels. And it is an encouragement. To us. That God has his servants. God is able.

[33:50] In the. Fulfillment. Of his providence. If an angel's. Ministration. Is required. An angel. Will be sent. We may never. Know. Until the day. Of the Lord.

[34:00] In the state of glory. Then. Those things. May be opened up. To us. And we may. Understand. A little more. The presence. Of the angels. And what they. Amounted to.

[34:11] And what they. Did for us. I can remember. One occasion. 30 or more. Years. Ago. Not quite. So long. I suppose.

[34:21] 27 years ago. When. I was very conscious. Of a deliverance. A physical deliverance. Which I cannot. Attribute. But to the sovereignty. Of God. And I've often wondered.

[34:32] If there was not. Angelic presence. An angelic. Deliverance. And I witnessed. Things on occasions. That have made me. Think that this.

[34:43] Could well be. If our eyes were open. We might well. Have found. That the one. Who could have done this. So easily. And didn't do it. And seemed. Not to do it.

[34:54] Against all odds. As men might put it. That there was. That interposition. Of. The unseen. Angelic. Presence. But the glory. Is God's.

[35:04] In these things. His living. Creatures. Do his will. He who works. His will. In the host. Of heaven. And amongst the inhabitants. Of the earth. But it is you see.

[35:15] Comfort. His angels. That excel. In strength. That do. His commandments. Hearkening. Unto the voice. Of his word. He shall give. His angels.

[35:25] Charge. Over thee. That by. Foot. Be not dashed. Against the stone. Remember the 91st. Psalm. It's called. By some. The soldiers.

[35:36] Psalm. May it be. A word of comfort. To some. Believing. Man or woman. Engaged. In the Middle East. Today. There will be such. I'm sure. May they know.

[35:47] That whatever. They may fear. And some of them. As they. Go through the skies. There are angels. And God's. Purposes. A sovereign. Purposes. And it's good.

[35:58] For us. To remember the angels. When Top Lady. Was dying. Amongst his dying. Utterances. In 1778. From his deathbed. He said. That he had been thinking. Upon the doctrine.

[36:09] Of the ministration. Of angels. What can be the reason. He said. What can be the reason. The ministers. Of the gospel. Speak so little. Upon it. We might well.

[36:20] Echo the. Question. What can be the reason. We are shown. Then. That us. There is the working. Out of the purposes. Of God. There is an angelic. Presence.

[36:33] And then. You see. The overall. Nature. Of providence. It gives us. The very word. It is the seeingness. Of God. God. As one of the old writers. Puts it.

[36:43] God is all. I. I've used that. So often. To you. Providence. God is all. I. God sees. God sees. All things. God sees me. Thou.

[36:54] Lord. Seest. Me. And you say that. Well. No one saw. But God saw. And when you did. That sinful thing. God saw. It was a secret thing. It was done.

[37:04] And no human eye. Was upon you. And so you thought anyway. But God saw it. But also. When no one was there. To come to your aid. When you feel. To be so.

[37:15] Bereft. So alone. When you're. Closed in. And there's none. That careth. It seems. For your soul. God sees you. Thou God. Seest. Me.

[37:25] What a comfort that is. Thou God. Seest. Me. And to know that. To know the truth of that. To come to that.

[37:36] In our moments. Of. Being in the deepest. Depths. Is. The very means in itself. Often to. Start us.

[37:46] Rising again. To lift us up. Thou God. Seest me. Providence. And the rims. Of the wheels. As they went. They were all. Eyes. We're told. They were all.

[37:57] Eyes. And this is the seeingness. Of God. The all. Active. Government. Of God. Is that. Which is according. To knowledge. God knows. God's knowledge.

[38:07] Is perfect. Of all. That is to be. He knows. Concerning. Every missile. That is to be fired. Every bullet. That will be. Shot. And its target.

[38:18] And its destination. He. Was able. To see. The very. Arrow. That was shot. At random. Into the air. A certain man. Drawing his board. A venture. At the battle.

[38:28] Of Ramoth. Gilead. But it pierced. The harness. Of the king. Of Israel. And he perished. Thereby. There is nothing. By chance. The Lord. Is cast. Into the lap.

[38:39] But the whole. Disposing thereof. Is of the Lord. This is the God. That sees. All things. And it's not just. That he sees. All things. But all things. That he sees. Are because he's decreed.

[38:50] That these things. Should come to pass. And we bow. Before this. The wheels. Turn. But they. Are such. That they're full of eyes.

[39:03] Round about. These four wheels. That go north. South. East. And west. East. And there's nothing. That will come upon you. And there's nowhere to. Which place.

[39:13] You may be brought. But God sees you. There. And if you go into the depths. Of the earth. He will see you there. And if you go to the. Highest. Realms above. He'll see.

[39:24] You there. And you know. All your lot. And all. Your condition. And what a comfort it is. That. He that keepeth. Israel. Neither slumbers. Nor.

[39:36] Sleeps. God sees. He that form me. In the womb. He shall guide me. To the tomb. In peace. He sees you. In war. He sees you.

[39:47] In prosperity. He sees you. In adversity. He sees you. When through deep. Water. Says the hymn writer. God calls us to go. The rivers.

[39:58] Of woe. Shall not. Thee all flow. For I will be with thee. Thy troubles. To bless. And sanctify. To thee. Thy deepest distress.

[40:10] They went. And they had rings. Around the rim. Full of eyes. Round about them. For. Then I would say also.

[40:20] This providence. Is at all of a piece. They're all of a piece. Here is the ring. The wheel. And there is the other wheel. That crosses it. I remember speaking on this. At the end of the 1970s.

[40:32] One evening. From this. Verse. And I think I drew. A picture of it. I seem to remember. Holding up a picture. Of the. The rings. But I don't think one needs. To do that. I think probably.

[40:42] I'm wiser. I hope so. Now than I was then. The Lord. God. Will draw the picture. In your mind. Of the. The circle. Bisected. By the other. At right angles.

[40:54] Here is. The wheel. That is revolving. The four wheels. In the vision. Revolving. Never returning. Going in all directions. But. As they go.

[41:04] There are these. Other cross. Wheels. And. There is the sense. In which. There is that. Which is a. Cross purposes. To the one wheel.

[41:14] And yet. There is the fulfillment. Through it. All of God's purpose. And it is that picture too. As the wheel. Within the wheel. Of the cross providences. As some have called them.

[41:25] The cross providences. Of life. That God is working. All things together. For good. There are those things. That seem to be far from good. There are those things. As Bezos said.

[41:35] That singularly. Would crush us. If they were taken. On their own. They would crush us. But put together. In the will of God. With the. Alchemy.

[41:46] As it were. Of God's. Loving purposes. About them. They are changed. They are changed. From that. Which would hurt. Into that. Which will heal. And the wormwood.

[41:57] Is made to be sweet. It's like the. Bitter waters. At Mara. That were made sweet. When there was that. Piece of wood. That log of wood. Thrown in. Which speaks of the cross.

[42:08] And in the purposes of God. And in the. Great center. Of the purposes of God. The cross. Of his dear. Son. There is. That which. Makes all the cross.

[42:20] Providencies. Nonetheless. Right. And they further. The purpose of God. It's an amplification. Of what I said. Earlier on. There's that moving on.

[42:30] And even the things. That seem to be. So contrary. So against us. The losses. The failures. The disappointments. The rejections. The rebuffs.

[42:40] The persecutions. The bereavements. Death. And all these things. They are furthering. God's purpose. The cross provinces. The crooks. And the lot.

[42:51] As Boston. Put it. The crooks. And the lot. Are working out. His. Lot for us. And his. Purpose for us. Is not. By chance. The wheels.

[43:02] Go forward. There are these. Wheels. Within. Wheels. And they're all. Working. The wheels. In a watch. Some of them run. Counter to the motion. Of the watch. As one of the Puritans.

[43:13] And yet. They further. The movement. The watch. Goes. Although some. Are going this way. And others. Are going that way. And so it is. The cross providences. They work.

[43:25] God's. Purposes. Out. But Joseph. Was appointed. In the decree. Of God. To be that man. Of favor. He found favor. In God's sight. He was raised.

[43:36] To be second. In the land. Of Egypt. And you read. The record. Of Joseph. And you imagine. That from the very. Destiny. That he will find. The place of eminence. He will be born.

[43:46] In the palace. He will. From the very. First. Moment. Be in the place. Of influence. But no. And it's so different. And you see. Him taken. And by the very.

[43:57] Treachery. And betrayal. Of his brethren. Sold to the. Midianites. And then brought down. Into Egypt. And sold as a slave. And as a slave. He is betrayed.

[44:09] And he's put into the prison. And he languishes. In the prison. And he's forgotten. Even by those. He's asked to. To help him. And then. God's time comes. And on that day.

[44:20] That begins. In the prison. The end of the day. Is the man. Where God intended. He should be. And he says. To his brothers. These years. Later. When they are. Brought together again.

[44:30] Ye meant it unto me. For evil. But God intended it. For good. There's the cross. Providencies. And there it is. In Christ. A greater than Joseph. In the determinate.

[44:41] Counseling. Foreknowledge. Of God. Crucified. And slain. Their wicked hands. Were upon him. But it was the fulfillment. Of that. Which was God's.

[44:52] Purpose. God's saving purpose. From all eternity. And therefore. The wheel. As it were. In the middle. Of a wheel. There is.

[45:03] No. Difference. There is still. The outworking. Of all that God. Appoints. Providence. As Thomas Watson. In the body of divinity.

[45:14] As the queen. And the governess. Of the world. It is the eye. That sees. And the hand. That turns. All the wheels. In the universe.

[45:25] Do you. Come. To the Lord's house. Discouraged today. About your prospects. About. Your situation. About those things. That touch you.

[45:35] Intimately. And materially. Do you feel. In a low place. In consideration. Of health. Or any. Such matter. And you feel. To be so down. Well remember.

[45:46] The turning. Of experience. The ongoing. Of experience. God may be pleased. To reverse it. And bring you up again. But if he. Will.

[45:57] Cause you. To remain. In that condition. In the physical sense. He will still. Enable you. To live. Above it. In the spiritual. So that even. When our body. As Paul says. Our natural body.

[46:08] Perisheth. From day to day. Yet our. Inward man. Is renewed. The spirit of God. Is there. To make us strong. And so we go on. Until we're taken.

[46:19] From. From earth. To heaven. I quoted. Top led. I was reading. His. His dying. Experience. And. They asked him. Did he feel.

[46:29] That his. Physical. And mental. Powers were declining. He said. Well he felt. His mental. Powers preserved. To him. And he thanks God. For it. But he said. My physical powers. Decline. But spiritually.

[46:39] I'm stronger. Day by day. I'm growing better. Every day. I didn't mean better. In the sense. That he was. Less dependent. Upon grace. Not top lady.

[46:50] But he knew. That as. The wheel turned. For him. It could only be. It could only be. Glory for him. Sufferings of this. Present time. Would soon be exchanged.

[47:00] For the glory. That should be revealed. The Christians. Last days. Best. Day. Day. All that we might live like that. And know the.

[47:11] The power. Of our God. And of that faith. To believe. In the hand that turns. All the wheels. In the universe. Working all things together. For good. There's only one.

[47:23] Last thing to say. From this. And that is to. Draw. To your attention. The note of. Worship. That comes into it. As for their rings. They were so high.

[47:33] Those wheels. Were so high. That they were dreadful. They were awesome. To behold. There was a sense. Of the wonder of it. The sovereignty of God. Moves us to all. There are a lot of people.

[47:45] Talk of the sovereignty. Of God. In the last. Twenty. Thirty years. Sovereignty. Of God. Has become. Quite. A familiar expression. When I became a Christian.

[47:56] First. I never. I never had anybody. Use it. But a lot. Use it. They speak of the sovereignty. Of God. Everyone's speaking. Of the sovereignty. Of God.

[48:07] But not everyone. Has that. Sense of. Worship. Because of it. You got that. That you. Find that. As the wheel. Moves. And you may be. Up or down.

[48:18] Or dark. Or light. Or joyous. Or sad. Do you worship God. There's. There's a greatness. In it. There's a highness. In it. Even when you're brought.

[48:28] To say. I know. That in me. That is in my flesh. That dwelleth. No good thing. When you realize. In those moments. That it's all of grace.

[48:40] Do you have that sense of worship. Such I think. Can have nothing but a sense of worship. We look to God. His sovereignty. The sovereignty of his love. Is a marvelous thing.

[48:50] That he should have loved me. Why me? That he should have. Set his love upon me. He saw me ruined in the fall. Yet loved me. Notwithstanding all.

[49:02] And we see the highness. Of the working out. Of God's saving purpose. And find ourselves included. Within its scope. It moves us. To marvel at the greatness. The mystery of it.

[49:15] And if it moves us. To marvel at the mystery of it. It works another. Grace within us. It works love within us. I've often meditated. On that Romans 8. 28 verse.

[49:26] Why. Does it say what it does say. And we know that all things. Work together for good. To them that. Fear God. To them that trust God.

[49:37] To them that serve God. No. None of these. To them that love God. When we see. The. Love of God in Christ.

[49:49] And of some. Grasp of our own. Being. Wrapped up in it. And from all eternity. To eternity. For we are loved.

[49:59] With an everlasting love. It can only be. That. One response. That. Takes possession. Of our.

[50:10] Hearts. That we love. Our God. We make returns. Of love. And we do. What we do. Out of that love. If you come to the. Salem Chapel. Simply because you must come.

[50:21] I'm sorry. I'd rather see people coming. Because they feel that duty brings them. Than not to come. Of course. But if we come because we want to come.

[50:32] Because. God is here. And God's people are here. And it is out of the love. To our God. That we are drawn to come. This is the love. If this is what is the main spring.

[50:44] Of our daily living. That we love. God with heart. And mind. And soul. And strength. And our neighbor. As ourself. If by love. We serve one another. Then you see this.

[50:56] You see why it is. We know that all things work together for good. To them that love God. They are the called. According to his purpose.

[51:07] Providence calls forth worship. The rings are very dreadful. They are so high. They are dreadful. So high. It's all so very high.

[51:18] But not to believe it is. Rank atheism. Oh may we be those. That believe in. Divine sovereignty.

[51:29] God. Working all things. After the counsel. Of his own will. And his own will. That benevolent. Will. That views a people. In his son. For their sakes.

[51:42] Caused him to give up. The son. To the death of the cross. That's what rules. That's what gives. This. Center and significance.

[51:52] To all the ongoing. Of experience. And history. And it goes on. Until it meets. It's glorious. Consummation. The end of the age.

[52:05] And unto him. Shall be the glory. For of him. And through him. And to him. Are all things. To whom be glory. Forever and ever. When reason fails.

[52:16] As what's with all our powers. Their faith prevails. And love. Adores. God bless. These few thoughts.

[52:28]  To our hearts this day. Amen.