[0:00] In Psalm 50 we read that verse 15. And call upon me in the day of trouble. I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorify me.
[0:12] Call upon me in the day of trouble. I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorify me. In this little short verse we have what we could subdivide into three sort of statements if you like.
[0:27] First of all we have what we might call an invitation. No call upon me in the day of trouble. You might say is it an invitation or is it an instruction. And if it's an instruction is it perhaps more of a command.
[0:42] Call upon me in the day of trouble. You see God's invitations are in many ways also instructions. And that which has the force of instruction from the mouth of God has the word of command.
[0:56] Call upon me in the day of trouble. To fail to do so is effectively to deny ourselves the help that the Lord alone can supply.
[1:08] So whether we are simply declining an invitation or disregarding an instruction or disobeying a command. The end result is the same.
[1:20] Our total lostness. Our ultimate damnation. If we do not call upon the name of the Lord to save us in the day of trouble we shall be lost.
[1:33] Undoubtedly and infallibly. So invitation or instruction or command. It makes very little difference at the end of the day. What matters is that we respond to it. So we have this first subdivision we might say.
[1:46] Secondly we have what we might call promise. A call upon me in the day of trouble. I will deliver thee. That's a promise from God. It is a statement of assurance.
[1:58] Of certainty. No doubt is even entertained. Because it is from the mouth of God. I will deliver thee. It is as certain as the divine statement can be.
[2:11] God does not lie. He cannot lie. He is truth itself. No falsehood can come out of his mouth. So one who calls upon him. He will certainly answer. Remember what Jesus said in John chapter 6.
[2:23] Now all that the Father giveth me shall come unto me. And him that cometh to me I will have no wise cast out. The Lord cannot deny himself. He cannot speak untrue.
[2:34] So we have here promise. Statement of assurance. We have invitation or instruction or command. And we have promise. I will deliver thee.
[2:44] That's a cast out of assurance. From the mouth of God. And then we have what we might call another promise. Or a prophecy. Or perhaps it is a command. And thou shalt glorify me.
[2:57] That may be sort of stating a future fact. Thou shalt glorify me. Or it may be a prophecy. This is what's going to happen. I'm telling you before it happens. Or it could be a command.
[3:09] Thou shalt glorify me. This is what you will do. Once I have delivered you. The only qualifier. I suppose we might say. In this promise. This third part of the verse.
[3:20] Or fulfillment of the prediction. Is that it appears to be contingent upon. The immediately foregoing deliverance. It appears to be contingent upon God.
[3:32] We can say it reverently. During his part. I will deliver thee. And thou shalt glorify me. In other words. If it were somehow ever possible.
[3:43] To be the case. That God would not deliver. One who called upon him. In the day of trouble. Then. The unsuccessful supplicant. Would not glorify God.
[3:54] But the issue is moot. It's irrelevant in a sense. Because the Lord always. Answers. And always. Delivers those who cry to him.
[4:04] In faith. In the day of trouble. Now sometimes it must be said. That deliverance is clear. And clear to us. Perhaps. Sometimes only with the benefit of hindsight.
[4:16] There will be plenty of times. When in the midst of trouble. It doesn't feel like we're getting delivered. It doesn't feel like God is hearing. Or answering. But when we take a step back.
[4:28] And have been brought through the storm. In the midst of the trouble. We're able to look back and say. Well actually yes. I can see. That the Lord did answer my prayer. The Lord did answer my request.
[4:38] He did guide. And keep me. He did protect me. We dare not go by our feelings. Especially feelings in the midst of us.
[4:49] Storm of trouble. But rather. You know. As Jesus said. Go by the facts. By the fulfilments. Go by the reality. And not the superficial. The near. Of the moment. In John 7 verse 24.
[5:01] Jesus says. Judge not according to the appearance. But judge righteous judgment. If we can form a judgment at all. If I can use that word. About God's performance.
[5:12] Again. Trying to speak reverently here. We can't do it in the midst of all the. Anxiety that's going on. All the midst of the trouble. But take a step back. Look back with hindsight.
[5:23] And see. Yes. Just how amazing. God's deliverance was. And some of the things. That perhaps. We had pled for. And asked for. And longed for.
[5:34] How thankful we were. Afterwards. That God did not say yes. To those particular petitions. How thankful we are. Afterwards. That the answer.
[5:45] To our prayers. And they will always be answered. Was sometimes no. Because God knows you. Better than you know yourself. But call to him.
[5:55] In the day of trouble. He will deliver thee. And thou. Shalt glorify me. Judge by the facts. The truth. The reality. Not by your feelings. At the moment. God's.
[6:06] Ultimate purpose. Remember. Is to glorify. His name. Everything that he does. In creation. And providence. And deliverance. And redemption. Is to glorify.
[6:17] His name. The name. Of the holy trinity. Creation itself. He speaks forth. Into being. To glorify. His name. The work of the redemption. Of the elect. Which has been in the heart.
[6:28] Of the father. From all eternity. This is to glorify. The name of God. To delight. The heart of God. By gathering around him. His children. Even as a hen.
[6:40] Would gather her chicks. Under her wings. He is bringing. His elect. Into his presence. Day by day. Consider for a moment. This day.
[6:51] This 6th of October. In this year of our Lord. 2019. Upon this day. All over the world. Somewhere. Believers.
[7:02] Will have been ushered. Into eternity. Whether it be. Elderly believers. Upon their sick bed. Whether it be. Little children. Tragically. It would seem.
[7:12] Struck down by illness. Or something more violent. Whether it be. A saint of the Lord. Martyred or murdered. Somewhere. All over the world. Saints of the Lord. Will be.
[7:23] Being gathered. Into eternity. This. Very day. Of what seems to us. Like a. A river of tears. And the bitterness.
[7:33] Of bereavement. In heaven itself. For those. Who are the Lord's. Children. It is the joyful. Bursting open. Of the gates. Of glory. As these. Newly redeemed.
[7:45] Souls. Are brought. To the presence. Of the throne. And the Lord. Delights. In gathering. His children. In. And somewhere. There will be. An angel.
[7:55] With the equivalent. Of recording. Equipment. Writing down. Ticking off. One by one. The elect. As they are gathered in. Knowing that the number. Is getting nearer.
[8:05] And nearer. And nearer. To its. Completion. And the Lord. Is glorified. In the redemption. Of his children. God's.
[8:16] Ultimate purpose. Is to glorify. His name. And the fact is. He would have. Less. Glory. His glory. Would be positively. Diminished. If ever.
[8:27] He did not. Keep his word. If ever. He did not. Save. And redeem. Those who cried. Unto him. So we have. This invitation. Or instruction.
[8:38] Or command. Call upon me. In the day of trouble. We have this promise. This assurance. Of certainty. I will deliver thee. And we have another promise.
[8:48] Or a prophecy. Or a command. However you choose. To instruct it. Interpret it. And thou. Shalt. Glorify me. In this. Little.
[8:58] Short verse. We have all this. Application. Between us. And the Lord. Our relationship. To the Lord. Indeed. Relationship. To the Lord. Is exactly. What all of this chapter.
[9:10] This psalm. Is about. There is a contrast. Throughout the chapter. Between the. Outward. Appearance. Of multiple. Sacrifices. And great. Diligence. And the offering up.
[9:21] Of the. The rituals. And the. Sacrificial beasts. And going through the motions. That Israel. Appears to be doing. And how God. Is impatient. With this.
[9:31] Near. Outward. Form. When it is not. Accompanied. By. The relationship. Of the heart. To the Lord. Himself. But rather. In the day of trouble.
[9:42] He will deliver. If they would come. To him. This is his desire. This. Is how he is glorified. But. Some might respond. Of course. To this verse. And say. Well that's fine.
[9:53] I'll bear that in mind. Next time I have a day of trouble. You'll call over me. In the day of trouble. And I'll answer you. I'll deliver you. And I shall glorify me. Fine. Okay. If I have a day of trouble. I'll let you know.
[10:03] But right now. Everything's fine. Thanks very much. So. I don't really need this. Myself. Friend. You are. Lying. Don't want to put too fine.
[10:15] A point upon it. But. That is. Basically. A lie. You may. Lie to yourself. And you. May. May. Try. To lie.
[10:25] To others. But you cannot lie. To God. No. Troubles. Follow us. Throughout. This. Fallen. World. You are. Not. Living. A life.
[10:35] That is free. From troubles. And maybe. Different troubles. From what other people have. Maybe. Different pains. Or problems. Or. Whether physical ailments. Or relationship. Difficulties.
[10:46] Or. Sorrow. Or brokenness. With regard. To family members. Or whatever it may be. But every single one of us. Will be wrestling with. Troubles. Problems.
[10:57] Anxieties. Difficulties. They follow us. Through this. Fallen world. And if you think you've got a day. Of calmness. And tranquility. Well we all know.
[11:08] That a day of stillness. And placid calm. Tranquility. The clouds of midges. Will follow you. Everywhere. And you can run for a while. To try and get away from it. But the minute you stop.
[11:19] They'll run you again. Troubles will be in calmness. Troubles will be in stormy gates. Troubles will be in this world. Because that's the nature of this fallen world.
[11:32] In Job chapter 5. We read it verse 7. Man is born unto trouble. As the sparks fly upward. And if you genuinely believe.
[11:45] That whatever your troubles may be. That you have no need of God. In the midst of them. Thanks very much. That's all very well. That crutch for other people to lean upon. But I'll deal with my own problems.
[11:57] Thank you very much. I'll deal with my own difficulties. I don't need this God. Don't need this religion. This mumbo jumbo. And so on. Thank you very much. I'll be fine. I may be sitting here tonight.
[12:07] I may be listening to this. But you know. It's all going over my head. Because I don't need what these people need. I'm fine. Thank you. I'm strong enough in myself. If you genuinely believe.
[12:18] That whatever your troubles may be. That you have no need of God in the midst of that. Then let me tell you. Friends. That is your greatest trouble of all.
[12:29] That is your deepest problem. So instead of indulging a fantasy of everything. Being wonderful all the time. Let's just face up to the reality.
[12:42] Of trouble in this life. And see what God's word says. Let's go back to that chapter in Job. And we'll read again from verse 6 in chapter 5.
[12:54] Although affliction cometh not forth of the dust. Neither doth trouble spring out of the ground. Yet man is born unto trouble. As the sparks fly upward.
[13:06] I would seek unto God. And unto God would I commit to my cause. Which doeth great things. And unsearchable. Marvellous things without number. Who giveth rain upon the earth.
[13:16] And sendeth waters upon the fields. To set upon high those that be low. That those which mourn. May be exalted to safety. He disappointed the devices of the crafty.
[13:29] So that their hands cannot perform their enterprise. He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. And the counsel of the froward is carried headlong.
[13:40] They meet with darkness in the daytime. And grope in the noonday as in the night. But he saveth the poor from the sword. From their mouth and from the hand of the mighty.
[13:51] So the poor hath hope. And iniquity stopeth her mouth. Behold happy is the man whom God correcteth. Therefore despise not thou the chastening of the almighty.
[14:02] For he maketh sore. And bindeth up. He woundeth. And his hands make hold. He shall deliver thee. In six troubles.
[14:13] Yea in seven. There shall no evil touch thee. Six troubles are in seven. The number of completeness. There shall no evil touch thee.
[14:24] Yes you may feel. In spiritual terms. The hot fiery breath of a dragon. As it were upon your face. But he won't be able to actually touch you.
[14:36] 2nd Iah chapter 2 and verse 8. Thus saith the Lord of hosts after the glory. Hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you. For he that toucheth you. Toucheth the apple of his eye.
[14:50] All the troubles that will swirl around you. That will come against you. The Lord will deliver those who call upon him. Call upon me in the day of trouble.
[15:02] I will deliver thee. And thou shalt glorify me. So recognize your reality. Have the courage to admit the reality of trouble in this life.
[15:15] And call upon the Lord for help. St. Augustine. In the fourth century. He's reputed to have said. God withholds from them that ask not.
[15:27] Lest he should give to them that desire not. I'll read that again. God withholds from them that ask not. Lest he should give to them that desire not.
[15:41] The Lord knows your needs. He understands what you actually need. What you actually want. But he wants you to ask. And it shall be given. Seek and ye shall find not. And it shall be opened unto you.
[15:53] Call upon thee in the day of trouble. And I will deliver thee. And thou shalt glorify me. But of course every text has a context. And you'll notice that we haven't quite quoted this verse in its fullness.
[16:06] Because it actually begins with this other little word. This injunction here. And call upon thee in the day of trouble. And. To what does the and relate?
[16:17] Well the and relates to the preceding verse. Verse 14. Offer unto God thanksgiving. And pay thy vows unto the most high. And call upon me in the day of trouble.
[16:31] I will deliver thee. And thou shalt glorify me. So. The sense here. Verse 14. Is. That of the fact that there is. How shall we put it.
[16:41] That there is cause. There is a requirement of thanksgiving to the Lord. For all that we have in this world. Even up to now. Before we recognize.
[16:52] Our need to call upon him in the day of trouble. We have to first recognize. That all the good. That we have received. Is from God's hand. And most people don't do that of course do they.
[17:04] Most people will go through their lives. And say. It's okay. It's not too bad. You know. And then something bad happens. And suddenly. They will shake their fists at the heavens. And say. How could a God of love ever let this happen to me?
[17:16] I'm so nice. I'm so good. I don't do anything wrong. I'm not a murderer. I'm not a rapist. I'm not a drug dealer. There's all these bad people out there. And it happens to me. Little me. How could this possibly.
[17:28] A just kind of God of love. Look at what he's done to me. And we might think. Well. When everything was good. All the things that now you're moaning about being taken away from you.
[17:38] All the things you've suffered before. Did you thank the Lord for those when you had them? If you've had some kind of financial crisis. Did you thank the Lord when things were good. And you had a sufficiency of money.
[17:50] If you've got a relationship problem. Did you thank the Lord when things were good. Did you pray for that relationship. And did you thank the Lord for the goodness of what he gave you. If you're hungry.
[18:00] If you're hungry. Did you thank the Lord when you had food. Did you thank the Lord for the goodness that he gave day after day after day. If you have a bump with your car.
[18:11] And something hits you. Or some other vehicle hits you. Did you thank the Lord for every day. Day in. Day out. When you travelled that same stretch of road. And he kept you safe.
[18:22] And he preserved you from such actions. You all know. We all know. I know. The number of near misses we may have had. How many times somebody coming over the other side. Or just swipes past you.
[18:34] And you almost feel it. It says. Another issue. You've clipped your wing mirror. Who does he think he is? Why is he driving like a maniac? But the Lord kept you. From that particular incident. He kept you.
[18:45] When a sheep or a cow was about to bump your car. But you managed to just get clear of it. All the times he delivered you. And yet finally. Something happens. Oh how could God let this happen to me?
[18:57] But do we thank him. When it is safe. Do we thank him. When it is right. Do we acknowledge the involvement. Of the Lord. For all the good.
[19:09] That we received before. We come to blame him. For the things that go wrong. And the things that are bad. So offer unto God. Thanksgiving.
[19:20] Pay thy vows unto the most high. And. Call upon me in the day of trouble. Because when the troubles come. And they always come.
[19:31] The Lord wants us to turn to him. For help. Yes. There may be some disaster. That has happened. But yes. I guarantee you.
[19:43] There will in the fullness of God's providence. Which may not be revealed to us. Here in this life. For it shall be revealed in the fullness of time. There will have been a reason for it. There will have been a purpose.
[19:55] Even to the most severe chastisement. To which the Lord may appear to subject us. But offer unto God thanksgiving.
[20:05] Now the context. The context. As we see in this chapter. Is of those going through. The offering. Oxen. And sheep. And goats. And all the sacrifices. That they're busily giving.
[20:16] And congratulating themselves. And how good they are. Look at all the sacrifices. We give. God really owes us. Because look how diligent we are. In going through the sacrifices.
[20:27] And offering up the worship. And coming to the tabernacle. And making sure that. All these beasts get slaughtered. And all these sacrifices get burned. And look how religious and devout we are.
[20:37] God really owes me. Look at what I'm doing. I'm completely misrepair. That every one of these sacrifices. Is meant to point.
[20:48] To the one simple sacrifice. For sin. Who can offer an oxen. Who can offer oxen. And sheep. And rams. And goats. And so on. Those who have them in the first place.
[20:59] In other words. The wealthy. Men with plenty of flocks. And herds. Plenty of possessions. What can the poor offer? They can't give an ox. They can't give.
[21:10] A sheep. Or a goat. Or a lamb. Perhaps. If they can't even afford that. Why do you think it is. That in all the sacrifices. Of the Lord. When he requires. You know. Offer a sheep.
[21:22] Or a lamb. Or goat. But if you can't afford that. Then two turtle doves. Or two young pigeons. Birds could be bought. Dirt cheap. For even the poorest of the poor.
[21:32] There was a provision. That even the littlest creatures. Could be offered up. In sacrifice. If the heart was right. For the Lord. And there might be those. Who couldn't even afford that.
[21:45] That God would receive. Their thanksgiving. This is the sacrifice. Of the poor. Offer unto God. Thanksgiving. And pay thy vows.
[21:56] Now unto the most high. And call upon me. In the day of trouble. I will deliver thee. And thou shalt glorify me. You see. All the sacrifices. In the world. Don't impress God.
[22:08] If they're not offered. In the right spirit. All the outward worship. In the world. Doesn't impress God. Samuel. Remember. Says famously to Saul. In 1st Samuel 15.
[22:19] Verse 22. Hath the Lord. As great delight. In burnt offerings. And sacrifices. As in obeying. The voice of the Lord. Behold. To obey.
[22:30] Is better than sacrifice. And to hearken. Than the fact. To around. And in Psalm 69. We read. I will praise. The name of God.
[22:41] With a song. And will magnify him. With thanksgiving. This also shall please. The Lord. Better than an ox. Or bullet. That hath horns and hooves.
[22:52] The humble. Shall see this. And be glad. And your heart. Shall live. That seek. God. For the Lord. Heareth the poor. And despiseth not.
[23:03] His prisoners. We might think. Well I haven't got oxen. I haven't got sugar. I haven't got wealth. To give to the Lord. But you can sing to him. You can sing to him. You can praise.
[23:14] Or think. Well I can't actually sing. So you're wrong there. I'm going to say. Yes you can. You can open your mouth. And you let him. Let the sound come out. Which the Lord. Has placed in your voice box.
[23:25] A refusal to sing. Is not the same. As a lack of ability. To sing. I will praise. The name of God. With a song. And will magnify. Him. With. Thanksgiving.
[23:37] Offer unto God. Thanksgiving. Recognize. What he has done. This is what Israel. Was failing to do. In this psalm. God is calling. The heavens.
[23:48] And the earth. Together. To witness. His judgment. And it was going to be. A rude awakening. For some. That thought. They stood pretty good. With the Lord. Because of all the sacrifices. They had made.
[23:59] And no doubt. There would be. An encouragement. For some. Who thought. They were hopeless. Because of all. That they couldn't do. But because. They trusted. In the Lord. There would be blessing.
[24:10] Offer unto God. Thanksgiving. Recognize. What he has done. Recognize. How he has delivered you. Again. And again. And again. Give God.
[24:21] Thanks. For the years. That were good. Before we come. To contend with him. For the sorrows. And disasters. That might have happened. All late.
[24:32] And they are disasters. Sometimes. They will be. Heavy visitations. That we may have had. We don't understand. All God's ways. But we know. That if we are to come.
[24:42] Before him. And plead for his help. And contend with. Lord. Why this? We won't necessarily. Get an answer. To the why question. But we will get an answer. To the help me.
[24:54] Plead. Because that is God's infallible word. Call upon me in the day of trouble. I will deliver thee. And thou shalt glorify me. But before we do that. We have to give thanks to God.
[25:06] For what he has done. Thus far. Even for the fact. That we are enabled. To call upon him. For that help. Because I'll tell you this.
[25:17] There are millions. Billions in this world. Who are not in a position. To do that. There are those. Who have been born. And raised into a culture.
[25:27] Of false gods. And false prophets. Or a denial of God. In the first place. If they happen to live. In atheist societies. Or communist states. Or whatever. Where they are brought up.
[25:38] To believe. There is no God. Who on earth. Do they call on. On the day of trouble. The states. There can be a fat lot of use. To that. What happens. When the state. Comes crumbling down. What happens. When men.
[25:49] Are found to be. Thickle. And shallow. And helpless. What is going to happen. To those. Who have spent their lives. Calling out. To false gods. And false prophets. Who allegedly delight.
[26:00] In the bloodshed. Of the innocent. What is going to happen. To these souls. Unless. They are converted. To Christ. Well we know. What the asset of that is.
[26:11] That you. Have been placed. In a situation. Where. Whether or not. You will avail yourself. Of the opportunity. The invitation.
[26:24] The instruction. The command. It is the living. And true God. Who is offered to you. In deliverance.
[26:35] In redemption. In the forgiveness of sin. It is the living God. Who himself. Has gone to the cross. And offered up. That once and for all.
[26:45] Sacrifice there. It is Christ. The redeemer. Who is offered to you. You may not avail yourself. Of that invitation. But it is. The reality.
[26:57] Which is offered to you. As opposed to the falsehood. The darkness. The hopelessness. That is. Sometimes. The only. Dead end option. For so many other.
[27:08] Multitudes. All over the world. The Lord. Is. Merciful. And gracious. And what he desires. Is not.
[27:19] Outward sacrifices. And going through the motions. Yes. These things are right. In their place. God commanded these sacrifices. They can't be wrong. As such. What is wrong.
[27:31] Is making them. An instead of. To the true relationship. With the Lord. You see. Let's say. There was a. A husband. Who was. Out all hours.
[27:42] All the time. He was either at the office. Or having affairs. With other people. But every now and then. He'd bring his wife. A lovely piece of jewellery. Saying. This is how much I love you dear. Or he would bring her. Big bouquets of flowers.
[27:53] Say. Look at all these lovely gifts. Look at all these presents. I'm giving you. But what she really wants. Is his love. And respect. And time. And to know.
[28:03] That she is the one. In his heart. She doesn't want. All these expensive. Expensive baubles. She doesn't want. All this glittering jewelry. And a house full of beautiful bouquets.
[28:14] Of flowers. Because she knows. That at the end of the day. Whilst he's busy. Giving more time. And attention. To other people. And other things. And other women. All these things. Mean nothing.
[28:25] Or like parents. Who perhaps. Seek to buy off. The affections. Of their children. With expensive. Gaudy presents. And really. What the child longs for. Is that most expensive commodity.
[28:38] Of all. Time. Time. Invested. In that child. To show. The love. Of the parent. For them. To show.
[28:49] The worth. That they place upon them. So that when. The mobile phone. Buzzes in their pocket. They switch it off. And say. Oh. I'm just going to answer this. And I'll come back. And play with you.
[28:59] They don't instantly. Jump up. To respond. To the office. Or the boss. Or this demand. Or that demand. They give their child. Time. In that allotted sphere. Of time.
[29:09] Because. They matter. Because the child. Sees. That they are important. To their parent. Because time. Cannot be replaced. And love.
[29:20] Has to be expressed. Not just with sacrifices. Not just with gifts. Not just with. Expensive presents. God. God. Doesn't want. Stuff.
[29:32] From his children. He wants. His one material. Physical. God is a spirit. Those who worship him. Must worship him. In spirit. And in truth. What's he saying? He says.
[29:42] What am I going to do? With the flesh of booze. Am I going to drink the blood of goats? Am I going to get fat. And rich on these things? I'm a spiritual being. These things are simply to demonstrate.
[29:54] A spiritual truth. And yes. They help to feed the priests. And keep the tabernacle going. But ultimately. For me. I want the love.
[30:04] That these things are meant to express. Change the music a little bit. And a child who. Knows that they have the love. And attention. And devotion.
[30:15] Of their parents. Will delight. In an expensive present. Now and then. Say. Oh. Thanks. Mama. Thanks. This is fantastic. This is great. And it's a rarity.
[30:26] But what they have the rest of the time. Is their love and attention. And unconditional devotion. Of their parents. Or what the wife sometimes gets. A beautiful bouquet of flowers.
[30:37] Or occasionally. A lovely piece of jewelry. But what really matters to her. Is that she knows. The love that comes with it. From her devoted husband. God doesn't want scuff.
[30:50] God doesn't want. Outward expressions. Of expensive. Religious devotion. He wants you. He wants your time. He wants your heart. He wants relationship.
[31:02] With you. If you want to please the Lord. Give him love. Give him time. Give him relationship. Give him an expression.
[31:13] Of his worth. Worth. Because that's what. Worship. Real worship. Means. Worth. Ship. What is this.
[31:24] Savior. This. Lord. This. Deliverer. Worth. To you. And what were sinners like us. Worth.
[31:35] To him. Well you look at the cross. And you see the answer to that. You see what he gave. You see what he did. For sinners like us.
[31:46] Offer unto God. Thanksgiving. And pay thy vows. Unto the most high. And call upon me. In the day of trouble. I will deliver thee.
[31:58] And thou shalt glorify me. Throughout this whole chapter. We see a scenario. Of judgment. And swirling storm. Of God's wrath.
[32:09] Ready to descend. Upon those. Who he considers. To be hypocrites. Or those who are not. Truly serving him. As the odds. In the swirling.
[32:20] Mail slam. Of creation. And providence. And judgment. To come. God remember. Is in complete. Fingertip control.
[32:31] Of every. Last. Detail. He can deliver you. In the midst of. Swirling judgment. He can deliver you. From the certainty. Of the death penalty.
[32:43] For your sins. Which is what they demand. The wages of sin. Is death. But the gift of God. Is eternal life. Through Jesus Christ. Our Lord.
[32:53] He can even. Because he is God. He can overrule. His own laws of nature. Remember how. When Elisha. Throws the stick. Into the water. And the iron did swim.
[33:05] The axe head. Bobbed up to the surface. Against the laws of nature. God can overrule. The laws of nature. When he wants. God can part. The Red Sea.
[33:16] God can. Cause the sun. To stand still. In the sky. He can do everything. He wants. He can even. Delay. The fall.
[33:26] Of the guillotine. Of judgment. To enable. His elect. To get free. From under it. Like. Oh come on. Wait a minute. That's a bit. Steady. God delaying judgment.
[33:38] Do you have any evidence for that? Well yes. Of course we do. Genesis 15. We read in verses 21 and 22. Remember. When the fire and brimstone. Is about to fall.
[33:48] Upon Sodom. And Gomorrah. We read. He said unto him. See. When Lot is feeding. Let me just feed. To these little cities. That are nearby. See. I have accepted thee.
[33:59] Concerning this thing also. That I will not overthrow this city. For the which thou hast spoken. Haste thee. Escape thither. For I cannot do anything.
[34:13] Till thou become thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zor. Meaning. Little. God delays. The judgment was about to fall.
[34:25] To enable his elect. And we might think. Well Lot. He wasn't exactly a saint. Look at how he behaved. Look at what he did. Look at his incestuous. Drunken nights. And so on.
[34:36] Not exactly. Somebody that you would want to look up to. And yet. We read. How the Lord delivered. Just. That is righteous. Lot. From Sodom and Gomorrah.
[34:47] He is. We trust. Amongst the elect of God. He was delivered. From that falling judgment. And God. Holds back. His hand of judgment. Until such time.
[35:00] As every last one. Of whose children. Will be brought in. You need. Never worry. About the axe. Falling. Before.
[35:11] God is ready. You need never worry. About. Oh. I haven't got enough time. What am I not going to do? How am I going to make sure? Am I calling an election show? How am I going to know that I'll be saved? And so on.
[35:21] You can be saved. By giving yourself. To the Lord Jesus Christ. Call upon the name of the Lord. And thou shalt be saved. That's what the Philippine jailer said.
[35:32] To Paul. And Silas. What must I do to be saved? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. And thou shalt be saved. Call upon me. In the day of trouble.
[35:42] I will deliver thee. And if as yet you are conscious of being under judgment. And without a redeemer. Thinking. I'm okay.
[35:52] I'm managing myself. Then believe me. You are in the greatest trouble of all. The greatest trouble that will ever afflict your soul. Which is to be lost. But it is for lost sinners.
[36:06] That Christ has come. It is for those needing a redeemer. Which is every single one of us. That the Lord has come upon this earth. Call upon me.
[36:17] In the day of trouble. I will deliver thee. And thou shalt glorify me. He will hold off. The fall of judgment.
[36:28] He will hold off. The descending day of his wrath. He will abstain. From judgment. Until such time. As every last one.
[36:39] Is gathered in. That means. That you have time. But you haven't got time to waste. And you haven't got time to flitter away.
[36:49] Because you don't know. When that judgment will follow. And like all of us. You don't know for certain. Am I one of the elect? Am I one of the elect? How do we know? What do we do?
[37:01] Supposing I'm not. Oh no. I might be making a mistake. You leave these eternal questions. To the God. Who cannot lie. Who has said.
[37:11] Nevertheless. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. And thou shalt be saved. God cannot lie. Put your trust in his son. He needs. Must deliver you then.
[37:22] Because he has promised. I will deliver thee. And in the deliverance of those. Who would otherwise be. Who would otherwise be. Certainly lost. In the doing of the impossible.
[37:35] God is glorified. I will deliver thee. And thou shalt glorify me. But you have been given. An opportunity.
[37:46] An opportunity to receive. The living God. The true God. Not false gods. Not false prophets. Not atheist states. And systems. And so on.
[37:57] But the true and living God. This is your opportunity. This is your day of grace. Now is the accepted time. Now. Is the day of salvation.
[38:09] Offer unto God. Thanksgiving. For that very fact. That you have this opportunity. That you have this time. Pay thy vows unto the most high. What do you owe the Lord?
[38:21] You owe him yourself. You owe him your life. That's what he gave for you. If you're trusting in him. He gave his own life for you. If you're saved and redeemed by Christ.
[38:33] You can't owe him any less. Pay thou. Thy vows unto the most high. And call upon thee. In the day of trouble. I will deliver thee.
[38:45] And thou shalt glorify me. This is God's eternal truth. Who cannot lie. Who cannot fool himself.
[38:56] You and I. We may lie to ourselves. We may fool ourselves. But we won't fool God. We may have many lies in our mouths. But God has not.
[39:07] This is a God of truth. And this is the truth of God. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I'm conquistated. You and I.
[39:26] Thank you.