We're going to sort of shorten them down
a little bit and let everybody away home
in a sort of good time this evening.
We start this series this evening called Depression
and I want to sort of underline for
you that it's depressed disciples that I'm talking
to.
You know, I believe that the mind of
the believer and the mind of the unbeliever
are two different minds.
I was talking to two medical doctors just
the other day and they say, you know,
we can't agree with you here that the
mind in man is just the mind in
man.
So I just had to have a bit
of a go with them and I said,
you know, when Paul was writing to the
Romans in chapter 12, he said, I beseech
you therefore brethren and by the mercies of
God that you present your bodies a living
sacrifice wholly acceptable unto the Lord which is
a reasonable service and be transformed by the
renewing of your mind.
So I said to this very capable doctor
do you think that you could say this
to an unbeliever?
You see, when you get born again the
understanding that was darkened is now enlightened.
Do you remember that Isaiah the prophet speaking
to God about the children of God?
He said, thou wilt keep them in perfect
peace whose minds have stayed on me because
he trusted in me.
You see, that's a believer trusting the Lord.
And of course as he goes on continually
and daily, unceasingly in storm and sand God
is quite capable of giving him perfect peace.
Do you remember that Paul writing to the
Philippians said be anxious for nothing but in
everything by prayer and supplication the thanksgiving let
your requests be made known unto God and
the peace of God.
What a mighty phrase, the peace of God.
Do you think you could expound the peace
of God?
Nothing that ever happened on this planet disturbed
the peace of God.
Hitler never disturbed the peace of God.
Nor any storm, nor cyclone or anything that
happened down here never disturbed the peace of
God.
And the peace of God, remember, belongs to
the believer.
That the peace of God might garrison your
heart and mind.
You see, this is very thrilling.
I said to this other doctor, he was
chirping in now and again, I said listen
Paul is saying to these believers at Philippi
let this mind be in you, which was
also in Christ.
Do you think you can say that to
them on this planet?
I'm afraid you can't.
I think you would need to get paid
first.
So what we are doing in these meetings
we are talking about depression, but remember we're
thinking about depressed disciples.
Oh yes, the children of God, while they
have so many things going their way because
they're gloriously saved.
Remember, they're not always at peace.
And I don't think we should try to
block that.
You remember Paul writing that great letter to
the Hebrews and he said Consider him who
endured such contradiction of sinners against himself lest
ye be weary and faint in your minds.
And you see I've met believers here and
there and yonder, all classes, all creeds, all
ages.
And I find them weary and faint in
their minds.
The very death becomes depressed disciples.
You remember that Paul wrote that letter to
the Thessalonians and he wrote it for this
purpose.
Thou ye be not soon shaken in mind.
You know you can have your mind shaken
all right never mind whether you're saved or
not.
You see somebody could write a letter to
you and you open it first post in
the morning and you read it and there's
things in that letter and they really shake
you.
Or you could meet somebody on the street
and you think he's on his way to
Canaan's lands and he starts to talk to
you and he says things to you and
then he says them about somebody else.
But he shakes you.
You're being inoculated at that moment with something
that might disturb you all day and that's
a terrible thing.
And the devil sees that it's done again
and again and again.
You see the believer can become weary and
faint in his mind.
And don't forget that Paul talks in this
book about the feeble minded.
And we will come to that in one
of these studies one of these nights.
Now you see the old devil has so
many lines that he works through to disturb
the peace and upset the mind of the
believer.
And these are the lines that I'm taking
each night in the Bible class I think
maybe they'll run for about 12 weeks or
maybe 14 weeks or so.
You see he takes the fear of death
and he upsets some people.
Upsets them very much.
You know he's been at this since the
world began.
You remember when our Lord Jesus died on
yonder cross that it does say that through
death he destroyed them that had the power
of death which is the devil.
And we shall have to examine very carefully
this very night what it means when it
says he has the power of death.
It cannot mean that he has the power
of death in the absolute sense.
Otherwise there's not one of us left at
the end of this meeting.
Although he hasn't it in the absolute sense
but he has it in a certain sense
which we will come to.
And you see when our Lord Jesus Christ
died through death he destroyed him that had
the power of death which is the devil
and delivered them who through fear of death
were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
And this is the line he takes when
he comes to believers and he does certain
things with them and he depresses them and
upsets them and we find them here and
there and yonder and they're really disturbed and
distracted and oppressed and axed just because the
devil uses this line.
Well we should try to contrast him in
these meetings and I'm sure that's the reason
that I've had a rough day this day.
Then you know he takes the line of
insecurity.
So many people you know they turn and
look down the years and they just wonder
how I'll finish the race and maybe there'll
be nobody to help me.
They can see an old people's home and
all the rest of it.
Now it's when your youthful days are gone
and old age is creeping on and your
body bends beneath its load of care.
It's when you're fainting your own faintness it's
when you realize that you're almost done as
we use the word and you become an
old woman or an old man and instead
of being in the forefront of the battle
you're away back here as it were you're
not able to do the things you used
to do.
And when Israel came out of Egypt you
know they were all redeemed but away at
the back called the Hindmost and I think
one of the great poets said this that
power belongeth to the mighty but let the
devil take the Hindmost or the Hindmost.
Now when Israel is coming out of Egypt
we will find that right at the back
of the line there was the faint and
the weary and the distressed then came Amalek
and you know he began to tackle the
ones at the end of the line he
destroyed the Hindmost and this is what the
devil does again and again and again and
we shall counteract it.
Of course you know there are folks who
are troubled with the name of loneliness and
there are more lonely folks in this world
than you've ever dreamed of.
Old Moody said this if you preach to
lonely souls you will never be with other
noblemen because there are people lonely in this
world from so many different angels they're lonely
and the devil uses this and you see
we're going to go into all these and
many more as we go through these lines
of his attack and we're going to try
to liberate the saints and get them on
the feet to be steadfast and unmovable and
always abounding in the work of the Lord.
Now we're going to look at this fear
of death tonight and I did this in
the morning one Sunday morning some time ago
but if we're going to take this line
I think we need to have a good
look at it this evening.
Now let me say this to you because
some of the greatest believers this world has
ever seen were afraid of death.
You see you think Elijah and what a
character he was he was a warrior and
he stood on Mount Carmel and he took
850 old diabolical prophets and he overturned them
and he slew them and he won the
day and turned the nation back to God.
And you know when Ahab saw what was
done and went home like a madman and
then threw the gates and shut them and
he said to Jezebel his wife he has
destroyed every one of the prophets and she
came and looked over the wall and sent
a messenger to say by this time tomorrow
I will make your life as one of
them and I'll tell you what happened he
fled.
Oh he was afraid he was afraid of
a particular kind of death he didn't want
to die at her hands and you see
he ran away to Beersheba which is the
most southerly point in the land because the
land was always measured from down to Beersheba
and he left his servant there and went
a day's journey into the wilderness I wish
you could see him with the hair down
and he's chomping on and then he gets
onto the juniper tree and then he lies
down and he says let me die well
he didn't mind this kind of death at
all if you just take my breath away
and let me die here I'm alright but
he was afraid of the death the death
of Jezebel oh he was afraid of death
you know David sang the 23rd Psalm and
we sing it with all our hearts and
why wouldn't we Ye go I walk through
the valley of the shadow of death I
will fear no evil well I'm afraid that
was alright that day because he was on
the mountaintop but there came other days in
the life of David there were days when
he lay in the cave of Adullam and
looked out and he was really down in
the dumps he said my spirit is overwhelmed
within me and when my spirit is overwhelmed
within me then I'll use my power and
one day lying looking out he turned to
Juab and he said I shall yet perish
by the hand of Saul oh he did
you know he was afraid that Saul would
get his clutches on him that he would
die by the hand of Saul there wasn't
that he was just a big man the
man that faced the giant remember and did
a thousand exploits he's afraid now and I
think the poem writes in this when John
was on the island of Patmos and he's
an old man and he's a prisoner there
and he's all alone when the Lord Jesus
came what a wonderful day that was it
was the Lord's day John heard the voice
behind him saying I am Alpha and Omega
and he said I turned to see the
voice that speaks with me and being turned
I saw one like unto the Son of
Man that was the Lord Jesus I guess
if there's any Russellites here I'd like you
to know the Lord Jesus is the Alpha
and the Omega in case you didn't know
that the beginning and the ending sir the
I am yes and John could feel as
tall as his feet and he laid his
hand on John touched him and this is
what he said to him he said fear
not oh now why that bitch did John
know he was going to die on this
barren island and he did you know and
the Lord Jesus laid his hand tenderly on
him and said look don't be afraid I
am he that liveth and walketh dead you
know I died one day but the day
I died I took the keys of box
that's my gristle John you'll not die John
until I put the key in the door
you see when you see men like Elijah
and men like David men like the apostle
John being afraid then you know we're all
sort of inoculated with the same sort of
stuff and we do get afraid at night
and the old devil comes round in these
terrible days that we're living in some of
you are alone at night and some loony
shakes the door at two in the morning
frightens you and the devil uses this now
I'm going to show you tonight how we
can be more than conquerors even in this
situation and we're going to use the Bible
to do that now that's all sort of
introduction and we're starting on this now the
fear of death now come with me to
Hebrews chapter 2 please the letter to the
Hebrews and we're at the second chapter and
we're reading at verse 14 for as much
then of the children are partakers of flesh
and blood he also himself likewise took part
of the same you see when he came
to this planet he was perfectly human of
course he didn't cease to be what he
had always been he was God but he
had now become what he never was before
without ceasing to be what he had always
been you see he was God manifest in
flesh and he took with flesh and blood
that he might die for as much then
of the children are partakers of flesh and
blood he also himself likewise took part of
the same that through death he might destroy
him that had the power of the devil
must be getting near me now I thought
I was getting off of this I will
not leave this until I've delivered this no
matter what he does there's one of you
behind me anyway that through death he may
destroy him that had the power of death
that is the devil now if that phrase
him that had the power of death now
in what sense had the devil the power
of death I've already said to you not
in the absolute sense you see if the
devil had the power of death in the
absolute sense then we would never finish this
matter and believers all over the world would
be blotted up he would kill us but
he hasn't this power in the absolute sense
but he has it in a sense alright
you see to get this proper you have
to go all the way back to Eden's
garden and you have to see God coming
into the garden at the cool of the
day and you have to see Adam and
Eve and Satan standing before God and God
looked at the devil and said because thou
hast done this I will put enmity between
thee and the woman between my seed and
her seed and then he said to Adam
and thus thou art and on the dust
shall thou return and if I'm right I
think the devil smiled I think he's stumbling
back there a wee bit sort of smiling
you see he's always been a usurper he's
always claimed to own things that he doesn't
really own and I think that all down
through the ages he had great joy in
singing the body of Abraham shall return I
think he was a big man laid in
the tomb and this body went into doubt
the devil laughed because I walked that out
you know and then he saw the body
of Jacob and Joseph he saw the body
of Daniel and Isaiah Jeremiah and he saw
the bodies of all the saints right down
the ages going into the grave going into
dust and he sort of used to search
this thing he said that's my power I
did that on my own but then you
see there came another wonderful conqueror through the
fight and he was born in Bethlehem and
he set his face to go to Jerusalem
and on the old rugged cross he gave
up a ghost and died Christ died now
let's get this bit quite clear because I'm
afraid we haven't been clear you know death
had no claims on him and into this
realm he stopped actually one of the translations
says he dismissed the spirit and you can't
do that and he stepped into this realm
and they take his dead body down from
the tree and they leave it in the
tomb now let's get this quite clear that
he's dead I am he that liveth and
was dead and this body is dead and
they roll the stone and everything inside that
tomb that is dead ah but there were
demons in there you can't keep them out
oh the devil's in there but he's going
to smile again as it goes into corruption
you see this has been his all down
through the years and he's smiling and he
stands there the old night through both hours
of Friday and through Saturday and then on
the first day of the week as the
devil watched this body it's dead, it was
going to dust this body moved oh that
shook him this body actually moved and this
body came through the greenscrolls without disturbing the
fold of them this body rose again and
this wonderful Lord of all at birth and
death at that moment shed it beneath his
feet yes you know at that moment he
took the keys he took the keys and
said you know you've fiddled about long enough
it's at Christ's giver now I have the
keys on I have the keys both of
hell and of death you see what we've
got to see right away here we've got
to see that our Lord as he triumphed
over death as he abolished death and brought
life and immortality to life we've got to
see that he's sovereign here now that's the
thing that the saints need to see most
you know the Lord is sovereign not only
over death but over everything and that goes
for disease and all the rest of it
we'll get there not only sovereign over death
but everything and everyone that goes for all
our races yes he's sovereign over death and
over everyone and everything connected with it yes
he is you know well that's very thrilling
if you can get this into your heart
this evening and we can bury it there
and it is called a good harvest let's
go way back to the book of Job
now Job
and just to save time I think you
know the story don't you that in the
first chapter the Lord said unto Satan at
verse 7 Job chapter 1 it's just before
the book of Psalms and it's just after
Esther and take your time until you find
the place because the place is most important
and I was just saved and went to
the meeting if the preacher preached out of
anywhere except Matthew, Mark, Luke, John well I
couldn't find it but I was never afraid
I always handed the Bible to the woman
next to me you can't get somebody to
get it for you you have to learn,
we all have to learn now in Job
chapter 1 verse 7 and the Lord said
unto Satan you see that our boys have
learned to argue with me that Satan is
not a personality tell me how God talked
to something that's an abstract oh no he's
talking to a person and the Lord, you
might as well say the Lord is abstract
and the Lord said unto Satan whence comest
thou?
then Satan answered the Lord cause this person
can talk back and said from going to
and from the earth and from walking up
and down it and Dr. Barnhill said to
me one day when he said that he's
a liar he's a liar from the beginning
he said he wasn't walking up and down
the earth he was around at Job's backyard
and he was trying to get in on
them and he had been there for weeks
cause God knew where he was you know
verse 7 and the Lord said unto Satan
whence comest thou?
and Satan said from going up and down
the earth and so on verse 8 and
the Lord said unto Satan hast thou considered
my servant Job?
cause he knew right well he was considering
his servant Job that there is none like
him in the earth the perfect and the
upright man one that seetheth God and executes
evil and then this subtle old Satan said
answered the Lord and said doth Job fear
God for naught?
you know he began to say to God
sure you have given him farms and he
has 7,000 sheep and 3,000 camels
he has 7 sons and 3 daughters and
he's well off in fact he was the
greatest man in the east at that time
Job the devil said you know if you
destroyed some of them if you'd even allow
me to destroy some of it he'd curse
you to your face well I'll take you
up on that now cause I know this
free man no matter what happens he's still
trusting so he's given the devil permission allowing
him this is what we call the permissive
will of God he says alright go you
round if you've been captured you'll find that
in 24 hours he destroyed 7,000 sheep
and 3,000 camels and 7 sons and
3 daughters and when everything was lying round
the wheat farmer he got down on his
knees and he lifted his hands and he
said blessed be the Lord the Lord gave
and the Lord hath allowed it to be
taken away blessed be the name of the
Lord you know the devil was really deep
here so he came round in the next
chapter we're at chapter 2 then so I'm
going to save time save me too and
you know verse 3 the Lord said unto
Satan hast thou considered my servant Job that
is not like him in the earth a
persistent and upright man, one that fears God
and eschews evil and still he holdeth fast
his integrity although thou losest me against him
to destroy him without cause and it's a
good thing for some of the argumentative critics
of the Bible to underline without cause so
they're trying to tell me that Job was
a sinner when God says he's a persistent
and upright man I don't know what way
they read, they only read their own ideas
into it and so Satan answered the Lord
in verse 4 and said skin for skin
yea, all that a man hath will he
give for his life but put forth thine
hand now and touch his bone and his
flesh and he will curse thee to thy
face and the Lord said unto Satan behold
he is in thine hand now watch this
wee bitch but save thy life so you're
not allowed to kill him you see the
Lord was giving him permission to do what
he liked with Job's body and his bones
and I can tell you he made a
mess of the woman because he went out
and with one stroke from the crown of
his head to the soles of his feet
he had him covered with a loathsome disease
called elephantitis big boily scabs all over him
and it was absolutely stinking from the crown
of the head to the soles of his
feet you see what I want to show
you is that the Lord is sovereign over
Satan and you just go as far as
the Lord allows you by yes, oh I
have no doubts in my mind Dr. Barnhouse
Rock, Pope Stewart, stand with me and said
you know when the Lord allowed him to
touch Job's body he didn't need to poison
him or anything he just touched him with
his hands and he knows so much about
the human body that in an instant he
was covered with this loathsome disease so he
walked on a little bit with the head
down and then he said did Satan bring
this disease on?
yes sir could he touch him and heal
him the next minute?
yes sir and you'll have to watch the
devil when you're talking about healing because I
think the devil's at work sometimes but we'll
get into that department sooner or later you
know all you've got to see here is
that the Lord was sovereign over Satan in
connection with death oh Satan can't kill you
if the Lord says no you see he's
limited, he's a wee fella he just can
go as far as God will allow, no
further it's impossible for him to kill Job
there was a very dear lady in this
very assembly who was a good woman, a
godly woman still is she's a wretched husband
who wasn't saved he was a bad man
and he still is and he came into
that little vestry one day through the door
and I had to watch him he's no
good he says I want to confess something
to you, get out and I got Popeye
the priest to confess something to me he
says it concerns you oh well if it
concerns me I'll listen to it now he's
a commercial traveller and he's earning four figures
now I'll tell you how much the fool
that he has some brains somewhere brilliant possibly
in his own job says I'll be getting
up at four o'clock every morning for
the last six months asking the devil to
destroy you I said somebody should buy you
comic books I said you're going crackers, that's
what you're doing I said if the devil
could destroy me he wouldn't wait for a
fool like you you haven't done before you
were in the bed did you ever hear
such loony talk in all your life oh
no I'm not afraid of that end of
it the devil will not touch me unless
the Lord allows him and if the Lord
allows him it will suit me won't it
the Lord is sovereign over Satan in this
matter of death let's get that bit yes
let's go through Philippians chapter 2 Paul's writing
to the Philippians here and up the second
chapter and this is a mighty caution for
us all Philippians chapter 2 and
verse 25 Paul writing to these saints of
Philippi said yet I suppose it necessary to
send thee, you Epaphroditus my brother and companion
in labour and fellow soldier but your messenger
he that ministereth to my wants so Epaphroditus
gets a real testimony here from Paul for
he longed after you all was full of
heaviness because that he had heard that he
had been sick did you see the testimony
my brother companion in labour fellow soldier your
messenger he that ministereth to my wants he
was a good man you know just the
son of a clown going round preaching saying
if a saint gets sick it must have
come from one ah well there was never
sin in the Epaphroditus or Job in case
you don't know it wasn't sin at all
and you've got to come here to learn
this bit and take it in and stop
your arguing and get out of that old
fallacy that you're in yes this man wasn't
sinning in that shape or form now he
longed after you all was full of heaviness
because that he had heard that he had
been sick for indeed he was sick nigh
unto death great but there isn't there but
God had mercy on him and not on
him only but on me also lest I
should have sorrow upon sorrow I sent him
therefore the more carefully that when you see
him again you may rejoice and that I
may be able that I may be less
sorrowful receive him therefore in the Lord with
all gladness and hold such in reputation yes
sir because for the work of Christ he
was nigh unto death see I had a
friend in this afternoon he knows a thing
or two about medicine he said you go
up there with that temperature on you I
don't think that we should just re-do
things with us doing them well we're pretty
good to ourselves aren't we my God some
of you have been dead for a week
and the wee woman thought nothing done with
T.T. yes this fellow was sick nigh
unto death for the work of the Lord
not regarding his life yes you know there
were men in the Old Testament who hazarded
their lives oh we've got to do a
bit of this hazarding you see this disease
that he had he was just worn out
this Peter took the coat off and worked
the shrut of his back and he's worn
out and he's really sick I'll tell you
that Paul had brought gifts he could heal
the sick at times if you watch him
in fact he got medicals in fact he
did many wonderful things although this fellow was
so near to him he never did anything
for him oh no I'll tell you what
healed this fellow the mercy of God but
God had mercy on him what I want
you to get the hold of that the
Lord is sovereign over disease and death you
know this fellow darn and almost out but
the Lord is sovereign he's not just letting
him die like that I think that's wonderful
isn't it don't forget the Lord is sovereign
the devil can do nothing about it unless
the Lord would allow him and I don't
think disease will take you away if the
Lord wants you here I'll buck off a
bit and stop lying mourning around yes let's
go to John's gospel chapter 21 for a
moment the gospel by John and the chapter
21 I think this is one of the
most beautiful portions in the book you see
our Lord Jesus has risen from the dead
and he came to the shores of Galilee
and he's meeting his disciples and he's talking
to Peter verse 17 just saving time you
can read the story at your leisure he,
the Lord, saith unto him, Peter, the third
time Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?
Peter was grieved because he said unto him
the third time lovest thou me and he
said unto him Lord, thou knowest all things
thou knowest that I love thee Jesus said
unto him, keep my sheep and then he
said this very tenderly to them verily, verily
I say unto thee when thou wast young
now let's get up this is you see
Peter wasn't a young man here or his
youthful days are gone he's not an old
man is he or not he says when
thou wast young thou didst thyself and walketh
whether thou wouldest but when thou shalt be
old oh wouldn't this be nice if the
Lord came into the bedroom and said you
know you're going to live to be a
very old man there's nobody to keep you
you know and there's no one going to
you don't think our Lord would be wrong
do you if you're going to live till
you're a very old man and I believe
that Peter was quick enough to take this
in you know cause when I find him
had arrested and put him in prison and
he's going to bring him forth in the
morning and cut his head off Peter is
sleeping between two so I had some of
the preachers at some time saying my this
is dreadful that this man lying asleep it
may not be as dreadful at all he
knew he was as safe as a bank
I'm not old yet but come his age
I'm old the Lord said when thou shalt
be old you see what I'm getting at
and I hope you see what I'm getting
at the Lord is sovereign over the span
of life before death he knows the number
of my days you know same as how
long I'll go on well let's get this
into our hearts I'm always afraid of preaching
and then you miss it let's get it
that the Lord Jesus tonight is sovereign over
God he's sovereign let's get it that he's
sovereign over the devil he can't do a
thing unless the Lord allows it he says
this can go so far and no present
he's sovereign over disease in a flash he
can sit you on your feet he's sovereign
over the span of life before you meet
death he says when thou shalt be old
now I want you to get this bit
in now too John 21 verily verily I
say unto thee talking to Peter when thou
wast young thou didst by thyself and walkest
whether thou wouldest but when thou shalt be
old and another shall give thee and carry
thee whether thou wouldest not when thou shalt
be old thou shalt stretch forth thy hands
and another shall give thee now let's do
this you know let's try this you see
here's Peter and the Lord is saying you
know when you're old they'll stretch forth your
hands like that and they'll gird them now
this is what he said here this speak
he in verse 19 signifying by what death
Peter should glorify God you know he had
selected the death cause he's not only sovereign
over the span of life before death but
he's sovereign over what kind of death we
shall die you know he had selected this
for Peter he was going to be crucified
he died like his mother you know he
said I shall stretch forth your hands and
they'll gird you and we're told by the
great historians whether you can depend on them
or not is another thing but we're told
by them that Peter was crucified that's how
he became a martyr for the Lord and
when they were tying him on the cross
he says oh no that will turn me
upside down I'm not fit to die like
my Lord and it's said that Peter died
upside down on the cross the Lord had
selected this death for him long long ago
this gives me great joy this evening because
if I have to die then the Lord
will select this yeah he'll put the key
in the door he knows what kind of
death may be cancer, may be this, may
be that oh but when you're a believer
you've got to get it into your mind
that the Lord's sovereign over all this over
death itself he's stumped upon it I'm printing
a little book for Easter for this class
and I'm calling it the death of death
and I'm showing you how death was destroyed
you see this is very wonderful isn't it
because I want to tell you that he's
sovereign over the devil and death and sovereign
over disease and death and sovereign over the
span of life before death and sovereign over
what kind of death we die now he's
sovereign over the hand that would bring death
let's go to Acts chapter 12 till you
see this Acts chapter 12 and
verse 1 the Acts of the Apostles chapter
12 and verse 1 now about that time
Herod the king stretched forth his hands to
vex get the word in certain of the
church and he killed James the brother of
John with a sword you remember when our
Lord was upset in places he always put
Peter and James and John with him our
this is James the brother of John now
the Lord stood back and let him be
beheaded by Herod stood back he can do
this you see sometimes the Lord allows the
enemy to kill a good man well I
think Stephen was a good man the Lord
stood back and let the Sanhedrin stone him
to death you see the Lord has his
plans in all this because it was when
Stephen was being stoned and Saul of Tarsus
was watching he could see this believer die
like he had never seen anybody else die
before with glory on his very face praying
for those who were thrown stones now the
Lord allowed James to be killed and killed
James the brother of John with a sword
and because he saw it pleased the Jews
this pleased them very much he proceeded further
to take Peter also now he is going
to take his head off his head not
this time he is not the Lord says
no oh no you are not doing that
see the Lord just came down into the
cell and the chain fell off and the
door opened of its own accord and he
dropped them out and he is not allowing
the enemy oh I think you must see
that the Lord is sovereign over this all
this is really thrilling you know my if
the Lord wants to magnify himself through this
body by life or by death then I
think it is wonderful yes do you see
this I want you to get this bit
in lets go away to 2nd Timothy and
we are at chapter 4 2nd Timothy chapter
4 now Paul is talking here in fact
he is dictating this letter and the next
day he is going to be beheaded verse
6 2nd Timothy chapter 4 verse 6 for
I am now ready to be offered for
the time of my departure is at hand
and somehow the Lord came down and told
him as you know the race has run
now taken you home now you have gone
well and I am sure you got well
done you see this man knew that his
hour had come that the time of my
departure the time when he is departing from
the body yes he knew that he had
come you see the Lord is sovereign over
the hour why he was in death after
all but he didn't die he was a
knight in the day and the deep but
he didn't die he was beaten with stripes
and with rods oh when you go into
the sufferings of Paul you would wonder how
he lasted out you know I think the
devil was after him all his life and
the moment they placed his head on the
block the next morning and they had taken
it off the devil says I have you
and he looked up and smiled and said
no that's all I have finished the course
was finished I have finished my course I
have kept the faith you see the Lord
knew about his own hour and when the
hour was come I want you to get
all these because if you turn them over
in your mind and try and remember where
they were you see he is sovereign over
if we die or not we may not
die you see although Elijah ran for his
life and was afraid to die at the
hands of Jezebel and he lay on to
the dune of the tree and said let
me die you know he never died he
went to heaven without dying this fellow and
way back before the flood Enoch didn't die
oh the old devil will come round to
try to torture you and vex you saying
this about you and that about you and
you can take the flu the way I
have taken it and you can have pains
in every muscle and bone don't get too
excited about it we are going to see
in a moment my time are in my
heart do we mean it at all do
we see our sovereign Lord and if we
get this put right then we will know
that we are more than comfortable 6th week
1 and Albert is taking over thank you
next week we are going to look at
the lane of loneliness or meditating and security
our heavenly
father we thank you for the help given
to thy servant in humbling the word of
God this evening we pray that thou will
keep thy hand upon him that thou will
strengthen him and help him further for the
tasks and the meetings that lie at his
hands in the days shortly to come and
we thank thee for this avenue of thy
word that we have been led down this
evening and we thank thee for the truth
that we have been shown and we pray
that each one of us this evening as
we go from this place that it may
be with the loins of our minds to
jerk about with the truth that we have
heard this evening and we pray that when
the devil comes to trouble us and annoy
us that in the conflict of we may
be more than conquerors through our Lord Jesus
Christ and through the might of the word
of God for thy name's sake we ask
Amen