Psalm 107: The Lord's Redeemed

[0:00] Well if we could, for a short while, this evening with the Lord's help, and the Lord's enabling, if we could turn back to that Psalm which we read, Psalm 107, Psalm 107 and we'll just read again in verse 1, the first three verses.

[0:30] Where the psalmist says, O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble, and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south, and so on.

[1:00] Out of all the books in the Bible, the book of Revelation is one book of the Bible which always causes a lot of intrigue, because there's, I suppose you could say there's a great element of mystery to it.

[1:21] Of course, the Revelation was a Revelation which was given by the Apostle John, and John was given the Revelation whilst he was on the Greek island of Patmos.

[1:33] He had been exiled there for preaching the Gospel. And John tells us that on one particular Lord's Day, he received a revelation from the Lord Jesus Christ.

[1:46] And as you know, the revelation, it contained in it, it messages to the seven churches of Asia. It also contained many things to do with the end times. But it also contained a vision of heaven, in which John saw into heaven.

[2:04] He saw into the throne room of heaven, and the Lamb of God seated upon the throne. And John said that on each side of the throne, there were four living creatures.

[2:17] And surrounding the throne of God, there were 24 elders, clothed in white garments, with crowns on their heads. And John says that these 24 elders, they fell down before the Lamb of God, seated upon the throne, and they worshipped him.

[2:37] But then John says about his revelation, that he saw standing before the throne and before the Lamb, a great multitude. That no man could number.

[2:49] And this multitude, as he says, was clothed in white robes. And they had gathered from every nation, every tribe, every people, and every language.

[3:00] And as they stood before the throne, he says that they were worshipping, saying, Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb. But you know, I love that occasion.

[3:13] It's in Revelation chapter 7. When we're told that one of the 24 elders, he asked John a question about this multitude in heaven. Where he said, Who are these?

[3:26] Clothed in white robes. And where have they come from? And John said to him, Sir, you know. And then we hear this elder confessing to John.

[3:39] He says, Well, these are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. And they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. They are the Lord's redeemed.

[3:52] And they've been redeemed by the precious blood of the Lamb who sits upon the throne. And it's then that the elder says to John, That's why they are before the throne of God.

[4:05] And that's why they serve him day and night in his temple. Because the Lamb who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. And they shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more.

[4:18] The sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. And he says, For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd. And he will guide them to springs of living water.

[4:29] And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Who are these? Clothed in white robes. And where have they come from?

[4:43] They are the Lord's redeemed. And you know, that's the question I'd like us to ask this evening. As we consider the words of Psalm 107. Who are these?

[4:56] Clothed in white garments. And where have they come from? Because Psalm 107 answers that question. That those who are standing in glory tonight.

[5:10] And those of the Lord's people who will stand in glory. They are the Lord's redeemed. And they have been redeemed. As Peter says, not with the corruptible riches of this life.

[5:25] But the incorruptible and undefiled and unfading blood of the Lamb. And what we are being reminded in Psalm 107.

[5:35] Is that the redeemed in glory. Will be a great multitude that no man can number. And they will be gathered, as it says. From all points on the compass.

[5:46] They will be gathered from all the lands. From north, south, east and west. And this in gathering.

[5:57] It will be a multi-ethnic in gathering. In which they will be brought from every nation, tribe, people and language. And that's because that was the great covenant of grace.

[6:09] Which was promised to Abraham. That through his seed. All the nations of the earth would be blessed. That was the covenant promise. That was the longing of the psalmist in Psalm 100.

[6:22] Which we were just singing. In which he longed to see all people that on earth do dwell. Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice. He longed to see the ingathering of the Lord's redeemed.

[6:37] And so you can see why the psalmist here in Psalm 107. You can see why he opens with the words. Oh give thanks to the Lord. For he is good. For his steadfast love endures forever.

[6:51] Or as we have it in our metrical rendering. Praise God. For he is good. For still his mercies lasting be. My friend we are to praise God tonight.

[7:04] That there is a redeemed at all. And we are to thank him. That we are part of that great multitude. Because the psalmist is reminding us here. That all of the Lord's people.

[7:16] Or all of the Lord's redeemed. They have been freed from the hand of the enemy. And they have been washed and made white. In the blood of the Lamb. And this is all because the Lord.

[7:28] As he says here. He has demonstrated. His steadfast. Unfailing. Unchanging. Covenant. Love. Towards us. In the person of Jesus Christ.

[7:41] And because of this. The psalmist says. As he says in verse 2. Let the redeemed of the Lord. Say so. Let the redeemed of the Lord.

[7:53] Tell their story. Of how they have been clothed. In the white robes. And where. They have come from. Who are these?

[8:06] Asked the elder. Who are these? Clothed in white garments. Where have they come from? And the psalm. Is telling us. How they have been clothed.

[8:16] And who they are. And where they have come from. And that's what Psalm 107. It's all about. It contains the testimonies. Of the Lord's redeemed. And what Psalm 107.

[8:27] Emphasizes to us. Is that the Lord's redeemed. Have been. Gathered in. From all different. Directions. All different backgrounds. All different upbringings. And all the different walks of life.

[8:40] And yet. What they all have. In common. Is that they have been washed. And made white. In the blood of the Lamb. And as we walk through this Psalm. We will hear. Four different testimonies. And yet.

[8:51] Each one of them. Testifies. To the kind of person. The Lord redeems. The kind of person. The Lord redeems. And so what we see.

[9:02] First of all. The first testimony. Is that the kind of person. The Lord redeems. Is the person. In pleasure. The person.

[9:13] In pleasure. If you read with me. At verse four. This is the first testimony. Verses four to nine. It says. Some wondered. In desert wastes.

[9:23] Finding no way. To a city. To dwell in. Hungry and thirsty. Their soul fainted. Within them. Then they cried. To the Lord. In their trouble. And he delivered them. From their distress. He led them.

[9:35] By a straight way. Till they reached. A city to dwell in. Let them thank the Lord. For his steadfast love. For his wondrous works. To the children of man. For he satisfies. The longing soul.

[9:46] And the hungry soul. He fills. With good things. And so with each testimony. Of the Lord's redeemed. There is this. As you can see. There's this beautiful structure.

[9:57] That emerges. There's repetition. There's words and phrases. That are repeated. Throughout the psalm. In order to highlight. This progression. From sin.

[10:08] To salvation. And the structure. I suppose. Just to make it. A wee bit easier. To follow. You could put it. Very very simply. There's the problem. The petition.

[10:19] And then praise. Problem. Petition. And praise. Problem. Petition. And praise. And so the testimony. Of the person. In pleasure. Begins with the problem. He says the problem.

[10:31] Some wandered in desert wastes. Finding no way. To a city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty. Their soul fainted. Within them. He says. Some.

[10:43] That first word. Some. It's repeated. At the beginning. Of every testimony. It's repeated. You find in verse 4. Verse 10. Verse 17. Verse 23.

[10:55] Some. And it describes. The experience of. Some of the Lord's people. Not. It's not the experience. Of all of them. But it's the experience. Of some of the Lord's.

[11:06] Redeemed. And the problem. For the person. In pleasure. Is as he says. Is that they are wandering. In wasteland. They're seeking. The pleasures. Of this world.

[11:16] But finding. No satisfaction. They. Have no rest. They have no city. To dwell in. They're. They're lacking. Because they're hungry. And they're thirsty. They're finding. Nothing.

[11:27] To satisfy. Their needs. And the desire. Of their soul. And the problem. For the person. In pleasure. Is that they're like.

[11:37] You could say. The prodigal. They have left. The father's house. In exchange. For prodigal. And reckless. Living. And they're feasting. Upon. The pleasures.

[11:47] Of the world. And all that it has. To offer. But what every prodigal. Soon realizes. Is that. Is that the world. Promises so much. But produces.

[11:58] So little. Because. These things. Don't satisfy. They don't bring. Fulfillment. They don't bring that. Through lasting. Happiness. And. The result is.

[12:08] Is that. Is that their soul. Faints. Within them. They come to their senses. They reach this. End point. In which they. Have to do. As. Every prodigal.

[12:18] Has done in the past. They have to cry. To the Lord. And so the problem. It leads to. The petition. In verse 6. It says. And this verse. Is repeated.

[12:29] Throughout the psalm. Then they cry. To the Lord. In their trouble. And he delivered them. From their distress. He led them. By a straight way. Till they reached. A city. To dwell in.

[12:41] The moment. Of commitment. And change. In the life. Of one of the Lord's. Redeemed. Is when they cry. To the Lord. And they cry.

[12:52] To the Lord. Because. They've reached. The end of themselves. They've come. To the end of themselves. They cry. To the Lord. Because. They see. That there is. Nowhere else.

[13:03] To go. They say. With Peter. To whom else. Can we go. You alone. Have the words. Of eternal life. My friend. The person. In pleasure.

[13:14] Cries. To the Lord. Because they know. That the pleasures. Of this world. Will not bring. The satisfaction. That they're seeking. And by crying. To the Lord.

[13:24] The person. In pleasure. Realises. That. The Lord alone. Can provide. That lasting. Satisfaction. The Lord alone. Will. Lead them.

[13:35] Away. From the broad road. To the narrow gate. And onto the narrow path. He will. Lead them. As it says. In a straight way. In which there are. Boundaries.

[13:47] But the boundaries. They're not there. For persecution. They're there. For protection. They're not in place. To make us feel. That we're losing out. But they're in place.

[13:57] To make us realize. That we're loved. And. The response. To such love. As he says. Is praise. So there's a problem.

[14:09] Petition. Praise. He says. In verse 8. Let them. Thank the Lord. For a steadfast love. For his. Wondrous works. To the children of man. For he satisfies.

[14:20] The longing soul. And the hungry soul. He fills. With good things. And so. As those. Who are the Lord's. Redeemed. If we.

[14:31] Are the person. And pleasure. Then. We are to. Thank the Lord. For a steadfast. His covenant. Love. And his wondrous works. To the children of.

[14:43] Adam. That he has brought us. Out of Adam. And into Christ. That's what the word. Children of man means. The children of Adam.

[14:54] Descendants of Adam. Brought out of. Adam into Christ. And. In doing so. He has satisfied. The longings. Of our soul. And filled our mouths. With good things.

[15:07] And you know. Was that not the promise. Of. Of Jesus. To the woman. He met. At Jacob's well. The woman of Samaria. Because. As you know. She had sought.

[15:19] Pleasure. And satisfaction. In many things. But. Primarily. In men. And. Everyone knew. That she had had five husbands. And the one.

[15:29] That she was with. Wasn't her husband. And Jesus says to her. Whoever drinks. From this well. Well they will thirst again. But whosoever drinks. Of the water.

[15:39] That I shall give him. Shall never thirst. And the water. That I shall give him. Shall be in him. A well of water. Springing up. To eternal. Life. And this is the wonder.

[15:51] Of the Lord's redeem. That Jesus promises. To the person. Seeking the pleasures. Of this world. That at. His right hand.

[16:02] In glory. As it says in Psalm 16. There are. Pleasures. Greater pleasures. Even greater pleasures. Forevermore. And so.

[16:14] The kind of person. The Lord redeems. Is the person. In pleasure. But secondly. The kind of person. The Lord redeems. Is the person. In prison.

[16:26] The person. In prison. Look at verse 10. Some sat in darkness. And in the shadow of death. Prisoners. In affliction. And in irons.

[16:37] For they had rebelled. Against the words of God. And spurned the counsel. Of the most high. And so. We're going to do. The problem. Petition. And praise.

[16:48] But we're told. First of all. That the problem. For the person. In prison. Is that they're in bondage. And what's interesting. Is that the imagery. Which the psalmist. Is using here.

[16:59] Is the imagery. Of exile. Because of. Because one of the punishments. Which God. Inflicted upon his people. Because of their. Rebellion. Was exile.

[17:11] And. Imprisonment. In a foreign land. And that's what we see. Throughout the Bible. In which the testimony. Of the Lord's redeemed. Is that they were. Once in prison.

[17:21] We were in darkness. In the shadow of death. We were in exile. Because of our rebellion. And sin. And you know. That was the experience. Of our first parents. Adam and Eve.

[17:33] They were created. In God's image. And in God's likeness. They were created. To glorify. And to enjoy God. They were created. To live. For him. And to worship him.

[17:46] But when Adam fell. From that perfect estate. Wherein he was created. He did. As the psalmist says here. He rebelled. Against the word of God. Do not eat.

[17:58] Of the fruit. Of the knowledge. Of good and evil. For in the day. That you eat thereof. You shall surely die. He rebelled. Against God's word. He spurned. The counsel. Of the most high.

[18:09] And as a result. Adam and Eve. They were sent. Out of the garden. They were. God. Sent them out. Because of their rebellion. And sin. They were exiled.

[18:19] And driven. Out. Of the garden. And God. Set an angel. With a flaming sword. To guard the way. To the tree of life. God. Closed the door.

[18:31] And he. Imprisoned. Mankind. In a world. Of darkness. And a world. That was. Overshadowed. By death. And the same.

[18:43] Was true. For the children. Of Israel. They were prisoners. In Egypt. And in Babylon. In the foreign land. Of Egypt. They were prisoners. In affliction. As it says here. And in irons.

[18:55] And hard labour. They were oppressed. By Pharaoh. As we hear so often. He would not. Let the people. Go. The Pharaoh.

[19:06] Was a tyrant. Who ruled. With a rod of iron. And the same. Was true. Of Babylon. The people of Israel. They had been exiled. Because of their rebellion. Against God's word.

[19:17] They had ignored the prophets. They refused to repent. And turn. From their sin. They continued. To worship idols. And false gods. And bow down to them. And so the Lord.

[19:28] Drove them out. Drove them out. Of the promised land. Sent them into exile. And under. The bondage of. And the rule. Of the Babylonian king. Nebuchadnezzar.

[19:40] And the Lord's people. They remained. In their prison. Of slavery. And exile. Whether it was in Egypt. Or in Babylon. Or in Adam.

[19:51] They remained there. Until their problem. Became. A petition. It became a petition. As it says in verse 13.

[20:01] Then they cried to the Lord. In their trouble. And he delivered them. From their distress. He brought them out. Of darkness. And the shadow of death. And burst their bonds.

[20:14] Apart. When the person. In prison. Or in exile. Or in bondage. When they cried. To the Lord. The Lord delivered them.

[20:25] From the hand. Of their enemy. And the word delivered. It's the same word. As saved. Or redeemed. Or rescued. Or salvation.

[20:36] Because. That's what it means. To experience salvation. It's to be delivered. From the bondage. And slavery. Of sin. It's to be. Redeemed. And set free. By the payment.

[20:48] Of the ransom price. It's to be. Saved. And rescued. From. The darkness. And the shadow of death. And the shackles of sin. My friend. This is why. We are.

[20:58] Called. Named. As the Lord's. Redeemed. Because we've been saved. We've been rescued. Redeemed. Delivered. We've been.

[21:09] Delivered. By the one. They call. Salvation. Do I know what the angel said? Call his name Jesus. Why? Call him salvation.

[21:22] For he shall save his people. From their sins. He will deliver his people. From their sins. He will redeem. His people. From their sins. My friend. We are the Lord's. Redeemed.

[21:33] We're not our own. We've been bought. We've been delivered. From. Being an Adam. We've been saved. From sin. We've been. We have experienced.

[21:45] Salvation. We have. Been redeemed. At a cost. And. What a cost. It was. And we must never. Lose sight of that. That it cost.

[21:57] The Lamb of God. His own life. In order to redeem us. And gather us to himself. And in hearing.

[22:08] Our petition. It's no wonder the psalmist urges us. To respond in praise. Problem petition. Praise.

[22:19] He says. Let them thank the Lord. For a steadfast love. For his wondrous works. To the children of man. For he shatters the doors of bronze. And cuts in two.

[22:31] The barge. Of iron. In his hymn. The hymn. And can it be that I should gain.

[22:44] Charles Wesley. He wrote about. Just about this. The wonder of. Redemption. In and through Jesus Christ. But one. In. One particular verse.

[22:55] Of that hymn. Charles Wesley wrote. From his own experience. Of being a sinner. In bondage. And in exile. And the verse. Describes so beautifully.

[23:07] The kind of person. The Lord redeems. Because the Lord redeems. The person. In prison. And Charles Wesley. He says that. That's the kind of person.

[23:18] He was. Because he wrote. Long my imprisoned spirit. Lay. Fast bowed in sin. And nature's. Night. Thine eye diffused.

[23:29] A quickening. Ray. I woke the dungeon. Flamed with light. My chains. Fell off. My heart was free. I rose. Went forth.

[23:41] And followed. Thee. And we're left. You know. We are left. Saying with that elder. In John's vision. Who are these.

[23:51] Clothed in white robes. Where have they come from. My friend. They are the Lord's redeemed. They are the Lord's redeemed. And the kind of person.

[24:02] The Lord redeems. Is the person. In pleasure. The person. In prison. And thirdly. The kind of person. The Lord redeems. Is the person. In pain.

[24:14] The person. In pain. If you look at verse 17. This is the next testimony. It begins. Some were fools.

[24:24] Through their sinful ways. And because of their iniquities. Suffered affliction. They loathed. Any kind of food. And they drew near. To the gates. Of death.

[24:37] The psalmist says. In these verses. That the problem. For some people. Because. They are. The Lord's redeemed. Is that. They are in pain.

[24:49] The problem. Before they were redeemed. Is that they were in pain. And they're in pain. And suffering. Affliction. Because of. As he says. Their sinful ways. Their sinful actions.

[24:59] Have brought. Suffering. And sadness. Into their home. And into their family. But what the psalmist. Is making clear. Is that their pain. It's. Self-inflicted.

[25:11] And the more. They continue. In their self-inflicted pain. The closer. They are. To death. And. There is. A. Modern.

[25:22] Equivalent. Of what he's saying here. That in the communities. We live in. The island. That we're part of. The families. That we belong to. We are well aware.

[25:32] Of the self-inflicted. Pain. There is. Upon homes. And families. There is so much. Hurt. And heartache. And heaviness.

[25:43] Because of. Alcohol addiction. Of drug addiction. Gambling addiction. And sad to say. I'm sure that we all. Have someone in our family. Who is addicted.

[25:55] To something. That is destroying. Their life. And the lives. Of those around them. Because that's what it does. It destroys homes. It tears apart marriages.

[26:06] It severs relationships. It breaks promises. And it leaves a trail of heartache. But what the psalmist. Is reminding us. Is that these people.

[26:18] Are able to be redeemed. They're not outcasts. They're not cut off. They're not beyond hope. And what he's saying.

[26:29] They're not beyond redemption. What is. Often so difficult. In these situations. Is that. They can't see their own problem.

[26:39] But when they do see the problem. They will make the petition. As it says here. Then they cried to the Lord.

[26:51] In their trouble. And he delivered them. From their distress. He sent out his word. And healed them. And delivered them. From their destruction. The psalmist says to us.

[27:04] That it's the word. Alone. That will bring healing. Yes. We know that. There are many helps. Alcoholics anonymous.

[27:16] Narcotics anonymous. Gamblers anonymous. They help those in need. And they do a wonderful job. And help many people. With broken lives. And broken experiences. But what this psalm makes clear.

[27:29] Is that it's the word of God. Which brings true. Lasting. And eternal. Healing. It's the word of God. Which is. Sent out.

[27:40] It's sent out. To those. In trouble. And distress. In order to. Draw them. In. To bring them. In. And deliver them.

[27:51] From their destruction. I remember. Being told the story. About a painter. And decorator. A few years ago. He was an alcoholic.

[28:02] For many years. And. As you can imagine. His addiction was. Affecting everyone. In his family. He was still managing. To work. And to hold down a job.

[28:13] But his alcoholism. Was becoming. Progressively worse. Church. However. One Sunday evening. He went to church. Out of habit. As he always did. And during the service.

[28:25] The congregation. Sang from Psalm 34. And as the congregation. Sang those words. The Lord. Sent out. His word. To bring him in.

[28:38] And he sent out. Those words. The words of Psalm 34. And to that man's heart. And the words. Which. Affected him. And spoke to him. So clearly. With the words of. Psalm 34.

[28:49] Verse 6. This poor man. Cried. God heard. And saved him. From all his. Distresses. Jesus. And those words.

[29:00] They were like. A balm. To his soul. Because they healed him. They enabled him. To turn away. From his alcoholism. And turn to the Lord.

[29:10] For help. And the words of Psalm 34. They were so significant. To this. Painter. That he would often. Write them on a wall. When he was working.

[29:22] In a house. Before covering it up. With wallpaper. And it said that. When this man. Was in a particular house. Twenty years. Later. He was stripping. The same wall. Taking the wallpaper off.

[29:34] And he saw the words. That he had written. Twenty years earlier. This poor man. Cried. God heard. And saved him. From his. All his distresses.

[29:44] And it was in reading. Those words. That it caused him. To do this. The psalmist. Is encouraging us. Here to do. To praise the Lord. To praise the Lord.

[29:57] The problem. The petition. And then the praise comes. Verse 31. Let them thank the Lord. For his steadfast love. For his wondrous works. To the children of man.

[30:08] And let them offer sacrifices. Of thanksgiving. And tell of his deeds. In songs. Of joy. My friend. As the Lord's redeemed.

[30:19] We have a lot. To be thankful for. We have good reasons. To praise the Lord. Tonight. Because the kind of person. The Lord redeems.

[30:31] Is the person. In pleasure. The person. In prison. The person. In pain. And lastly. The kind of person. The Lord redeems. Is the person. In power.

[30:41] The person. In power. We look at verse 23. This is the last testimony. It says. Some went down.

[30:52] Into the sea. Down to the sea. In ships. Doing business. In the great waters. They saw the deeds. Of the Lord. His wondrous works. In the deep. For he commanded. And raised the stormy wind.

[31:04] Which lifted up. The waves of the sea. They mounted up. To the heaven. They went down. To the depths. Their courage. Melted away. In their evil plight. They railed. And staggered.

[31:14] Like drunken men. And were at their. Woods. End. So the problem. For the person. In power. Which the psalmist. Draws attention to.

[31:25] The problem. Is their wealth. Because the person. Who owned a ship. And did business. By trading. Cargo. On the open sea. That person.

[31:37] As you would expect. Was wealthy. And because of their wealth. And status. They had power. But their wealth. Status. And power. Was a problem.

[31:49] Because like it. Does with. A lot of people. It gives them. A false sense. Of security. Where they think. That they have power. Over their own lives. And that they have enough money.

[32:01] To live forever. And that they're loved by. Everyone around them. But as the psalmist. Reminds us. You could say. Pardon the pun.

[32:11] Life. Isn't always plain sailing. Because when the Lord. Brings storms. Into our lives. And commands. The winds. And the waves. To beat against our ship.

[32:22] A ship. Which we sometimes think. Is like the. The Titanic. Unsinkable. And yet. When our storm. Becomes so severe. That our ship. Seems like this little bottle.

[32:34] Floating about in the sea. Bobbing about. Uncontrollably. Mounting to the heavens. As he says. And then going down. Into the depths. When we are brought.

[32:45] To our wits end. We're made to realize. That there is much more to life. Than wealth. Status. And power. And the wonder of it all.

[32:56] Is that in the storm. The Lord reveals himself. And very quickly. The problem. For the person. In power. Becomes a petition.

[33:08] For peace. Problem. Petition. The same petition. As. As the other three. Then they cried. To the Lord. In their trouble. And he delivered them.

[33:20] From their distress. He made the storm. Be still. And the waves. Of the sea. Were hushed. Then they were glad. That the waters. Were quiet. And he brought them.

[33:31] To their desired. Haven. And you know. When you read these words. You know. You can't help. But think of. The occasion. When Jesus.

[33:42] And the disciples. They were battling. The storm. In their boat. They were on the sea of Galilee. And the wind had risen up. And the waves were. Pounding against the.

[33:53] Their little boat. Carrying them. But. As it says in the passage. Jesus was nowhere. To be found. He was asleep. In the stern of the ship.

[34:04] And. You'll remember. How the disciples. They went up to Jesus. And they started trying. To wake him. Saying. Master. Do you not care. That we're perishing. And we're told. That Jesus awoke.

[34:15] And he rebuked. The wind. And he said. To the waves. Peace. Be still. And the wind ceased. And there was this great calm. And then.

[34:26] Jesus says. To his disciples. Why are you so afraid? Have. You still know faith? But the disciples. They're.

[34:36] Filled with fear. And they say to one another. Who is this? That even the wind. And the waves. Obey him. And you know. What's remarkable. Is that. It was in the storm. That Jesus revealed himself.

[34:48] To the disciples. And for some of us. In our experience. It took a storm. In our life. For us to cry out.

[34:59] To Jesus. It took a storm. In our life. For us. To look to Jesus. And ask. Him for help. It took a storm. In our life. For us to see.

[35:10] The emptiness. Of clinging to wealth. Or to status. Or to power. And to humbly ask Jesus. Do you care about me? Do you care about me?

[35:21] For those of us. Who were redeemed. Through the storm. Although it wasn't a place. It wasn't pleasant. At the time. Maybe you can look back.

[35:33] And. Say. Well. The Lord meant it for good. And our response. Is like the response. Of all of the Lord's redeemed. The response of praise.

[35:46] Problem. Petition. Praise. Let them thank the Lord. For his steadfast love. For his wondrous works. To the children of man. Let them extol him. In the congregation.

[35:57] Of the people. And praise him. In the assembly. Of the elders. We didn't read the.

[36:09] Closing verses. Of this psalm. But. In the closing verses. Of the psalm. It. Reiterates. All the blessings. Which the Lord's redeemed. Receive. I don't want to go into them.

[36:21] In detail. Because. Well. We don't have time. But. They emphasize. The reversal of fortune. In which. The person in pleasure. Who finds no satisfaction.

[36:32] In the world. They're satisfied. In the Lord. The person in prison. Enslaved. To sin. They're set free. By the Lord. The person in pain. Who's.

[36:43] Self inflicting. That pain. They're healed. And restored. By the Lord. The person. In power. Who encounters the storm. Of their life. And. They experience peace.

[36:54] Because. Of the Lord. It's a reversal. Of fortune. And. That's why. The gospel message. Is a message. Of good news. It's a message.

[37:06] Of good news. To broken lives. And broken people. Because it promises. A reversal. Of fortune. It promises. To go from lost.

[37:18] To found. From darkness. To light. From slavery. To freedom. From filthiness. To. To being cleansed. From rejected. To accepted.

[37:28] From hated. To loved. From outcasts. To children. From damned. To saved. From cursed. To blessed. From death. To life. From sinner.

[37:39] To saint. From hell. To heaven. From hell. To heaven. That's the wonder of this. That's the wonder of what it is.

[37:50] To be. The Lord's redeemed. And that's what I want to. End this evening. From hell. To heaven. I want us to end.

[38:02] In the place that we began. With John's revelation. Of heaven. The throne room. Of God. And of the Lamb. Because you know. We often sing.

[38:14] The words of verses. 29 and 30. At a funeral. Of one of the Lord's redeemed. And they're a reminder to us. That it's through much tribulation.

[38:25] That the Lord's redeemed. Will enter the kingdom. Of heaven. And in this life. Well we know. There are many storms. Many many storms.

[38:36] But the promise. At death. Is as the psalmist says. The storm is changed. Into a calm. At his command. And will. So that the waves.

[38:46] Which raged before. Now quiet are and still. Then are they glad. Because at rest. And quiet now they be. So to the haven. He then brings.

[38:58] Which they desired. To see. He then brings. He brings them. The Lamb of God. Who's. In the midst of the throne.

[39:10] Who has redeemed these people. By his precious blood. He gathers. His own people in. And he gathers them. As we were seeing. From all the lands.

[39:21] From north. South. East. And west. He brings them in. To their desired. Haven. And their desired haven. Our desired. Haven.

[39:32] Is to stand. In the throne. Room of heaven. Worshipping the Lamb. Along with the multitude. Which no man can number. Because this multitude.

[39:42] He says. Will be gathered. From every nation. Tribe. People. And language. And. They are all those. Who have come out. Of the great tribulation. And they're all there.

[39:55] And they've washed their robes. And made them white. In the blood of the Lamb. My friend. We are the Lord's redeemed.

[40:08] We are the Lord's redeemed. And we have the promise. Tonight. Although it may seem. So far removed from us. We have the promise that. We will stand before him in glory.

[40:21] And before the throne of God. And as the promise is. In Revelation 7. We will serve him day and night. In his temple. Because the Lamb.

[40:31] Who sits on the throne. Will shelter us. With his presence. And we shall hunger no more. Neither thirst any more. The sun shall not strike us. Nor any scorching heap.

[40:42] Because the Lamb. In the midst of the throne. Will be our shepherd. He will guide us. To springs. Of living water. And God will wipe away. Every tear.

[40:55] From our eyes. We were saying that. In Life Explored last night. God will wipe every tear.

[41:05] Away. Which implies. That we enter heaven. With tears in our eyes. Having come out. Of the great tribulation. This life.

[41:18] The great tribulation. Full of tears. Full of sadness. Full of sorrow. But. On entering.

[41:30] He will wipe. Away every tear. From our eyes. My friend. What shall we say. To these things. Except.

[41:41] As the psalmist. Urges us to do. Praise God. For he is good. For still. His mercy.

[41:51] Is lasting be. May the Lord. Bless these thoughts. To us. Let us pray. Oh Lord.

[42:02] Our gracious God. When we stand. Before thy word. We realize. That. We are so undeserving. Of. All the promises. That are contained.

[42:12] Within it. But we thank thee. Oh Lord. That these promises. Have been sealed. To us. Sealed. In and through. Thy son Jesus. Granted.

[42:23] By thy spirit. Oh Lord. Help us. To lay hold of them. Help us. To believe them. By faith. Help us. Lord. To live every day. Knowing that. As thy word says.

[42:35] That we have an inheritance. Awaiting. Us. An inheritance. That is incorruptible. Undefiled. That fadeth not away. That is reserved.

[42:47] In heaven. For us. And help us then. We pray. In this life. A life. Full of tribulation. A life. Full of sadness. And sorrow. Of pain.

[42:57] And heartache. Help us. To keep looking. To Jesus. Help us. To keep our eyes. Fixed upon him. For how often. Lord. Our eyes. Drift. How often.

[43:08] Our eyes. Look down. But help us. To keep looking up. Help us. To keep doing. As the psalmist. Is encouraging us. Tonight. To praise God. For he is good.

[43:19] For still. His mercy's lasting be. Aw. Do us good. We pray. Keep us on the journey. Keep us Lord. For we know. That. Aw. We cannot keep ourselves.

[43:31] But we ask. To be kept. By the power of God. Through faith. Unto salvation. Ready. To be revealed. And the day of glory. Go before us.

[43:41] Then we pray. Part us with thy blessing. For we ask it in Jesus name. And for his sake. Amen. Amen. We shall conclude.

[43:55] By singing. The words of that psalm. Psalm 107. From the beginning. Down to the verse marked.

[44:05] Eight. Psalm 107. Psalm 107. Praise God. For he is good.

[44:16] For still. His mercy's lasting be. Let God's redeemed. Say so. Whom he. From the enemies. Handed free. And gathered them. Out of the lands. From north. South. East.

[44:27] And west. They strayed. In deserts. Pathless way. No city found. To rest. Down to the verse marked. Eight. Of Psalm 107. To God's praise.

[44:37] Praise God. For he is good. For still.

[44:48] His mercy's lasting be. Let God's redeemed. Say so.

[45:00] Who will be. From the enemies. His hand in free. And gather them.

[45:12] Out of the lands. From north. South. East. And west. East.

[45:22] East. East. East. West. East. West. East. West. West. West.

[45:40] West. East. West. West. West. They cry unto the Lord, and He them frees from their distress.

[46:04] More so in a way to war, a brightest heated guide.

[46:17] That they might to a city go, wherein they might abide.

[46:33] That men to the Lord would give praise for His goodness, and for His works of wonder done unto the sons of men.

[47:00] Amen. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all, now and forevermore. Amen.

[47:10] The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ Amen. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ Amen.

[47:22] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[47:34] Amen. Amen.