Bibles to Ephesians chapter 1 and stand if you're able Turning to Ephesians chapter 1 we're going to read verses 15 through 23 Ephesians chapter 1 15 through 23 Here now the holy inerrant infallible and inspired Word of God Wherefore, I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and love unto all the saints, cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. The eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come, and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all. May the Lord grant his blessing to the reading and hearing of his most holy word. Let us pray. Our heavenly Father, as we come to thy word now, we pray that thy spirit would be powerful among us to receive those things from thy word, that we may appropriate them unto life. We ask this in Jesus' name, amen. You may be seated. Well, last week, in two sermons, we discussed both the nature of the church, the mission of the church, and the power of the church. In discussing the mission of the church last Sunday evening, we talked about how Christ had given to His apostles a charter or a constitution for His church. orders and how to direct it. We saw that in Matthew 28, 18-20, where he said, Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. And we saw how that passage there in Matthew 28-20, teaching them to observe all things, is really that charter of the church. that that's what we are to be about doing. And then along with that came a commission to the apostles to fulfill that charter. Disciple the nations, we saw, was the mission and the commission. And you would disciple the nations by going, by baptizing, and by teaching all of those things that are commanded. We saw in this that Christ's own presence and the power of the Holy Spirit makes the mission of the church effective. It makes it work. And we discussed how Christ delegates a limited power to the officers of the church, first to the apostles, and then to the elders which would follow them to accomplish the mission, that when Christ says, teach them to observe whatsoever things I've commanded, we don't do those things outside of that list, outside of that charter. If he's commanded something, we do that, and we don't tread outside of it. Today, I want to take that discussion one step further. Today, we would like to discuss an aspect of that power. We spent more time in discussing power, talking about how we exercise it or the limits of that exercise within the church, according as God has given commandment. But today, I would like to discuss with you that power of Christ in the church, in particular, its preserving nature, the preserving nature of Christ's power on behalf of the church. We didn't read this in Ephesians, but if you were to go back this afternoon and read Ephesians chapter 1 in verses 1 through 14, you'd see that Paul has introduced his letter to the Ephesians with a powerful summary of the gracious nature of salvation, along with a description of the operations of each person of the Trinity within that salvation. In the passage we read today then, so that's the That's what builds up to this section beginning at verse 15. In verse 15 of Ephesians 1, we see that Paul transitions in this introduction to describe a prayer that he continually offers on behalf of the church, or perhaps maybe the content of his continual prayers on behalf of the Ephesian church. Among the things that Paul prays for that we read of here in our passage, he prays in verse 17, that God would give the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ. You know, are we praying for one another in that way? If you're praying for me, I'll take it. I should be praying for you that way too, right? He prays in verse 18 that God would grant a true understanding of the word of Christ. Pray for me that way, and I'll pray for you that way. Verse 18, he also prays that they may know in a practical way the hope of being called into the kingdom of Christ by the Father and the riches that God has bestowed upon us, a spiritual inheritance bestowed upon those who have been bought by Christ. Paul prays that you might know those things and that they would have a real practical effect in your life. In verses 19 through 20, he prays that they may know the unlimited power of God exercised on behalf of the elect and demonstrated in the raising of Christ from the dead. The father raised Christ from the dead. And then he installed him upon the throne of his right hand, right? The throne of the kingdom sat him at his right hand to reign and to rule. And this builds up in Paul's description of the prayer towards a doxology, this exclamation of praise, and you can sense it as you're reading it. Paul's love and desire is all over the page here. He wants them to understand, and he proclaims the glory of Christ's risen nature, that Christ has risen, and he proclaims the power of our Lord Jesus Christ reigns. on behalf of his church in verses 21 through 23. And in this section, in this exclamation of praise, we have a majestic and comforting description of power and of the authority which Christ Jesus as the king and head and Lord of his church has. And we have a description of the exercise of that power. So beginning in Ephesians chapter one, and then working through some other passages, What we want to do is we want to speak about, first, the nature of Christ's preserving power, and secondly, the need that the Church has of Christ's preserving power, and then thirdly, the exercise of Christ's preserving power. So first, with regard to its nature, the nature of Christ's preserving power, I'd want you to understand first that His power is an invested power. Invested power, what do you mean by that? In verses 19 through 20 of Ephesians 1, we see that God the Father demonstrates His power by raising Christ from the dead and then sets Him at His own right hand. So there's this activity on the part of the Father, raising the Son and then setting Him authoritatively in the throne. Last week, in Matthew 28, verse 18, we read that all power, right? All power had been given to Christ in heaven and earth, and it was on the basis of that power that those apostles' mission was to be accomplished. If you turn with me to Hebrews 1, 5-13, I want to see another example of this, of the Father establishing the throne of the Son. Ephesians 1, I'm sorry, Hebrews 1, 5 to 13. Hebrews 1, 5 through 13. Quoting a number of Old Testament passages, the writer of Hebrews says, with regard to Christ, did the father say, said he at any time, thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee. And again, I will be to him a father and he shall be to me a son. And again, when he bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he saith, and let all the angels of God worship him. And of the angels he saith, who maketh his angels spirits and his ministers a flame of fire, but unto the son, he saith, thy throne, O God, is forever and ever. A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity. Therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. And thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of thine hands. They shall perish, but thou remainest, and they all shall wax old as doth a garment, and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed, but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail. But to which of the angels said he at any time, sit on my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool? You see, the father said to the son, I'm going to give you a throne, and I'm going to give you authority. You see that also in Acts chapter 2, where Peter, the end of that Pentecost sermon, regarding the preaching of Christ, he refers to his office as the Messiah, as the Redeemer, and this invested nature of power. He says, this Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we are all witnesses. Therefore, being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, right, what you saw there at Pentecost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heaven, but he saith himself, the Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou on my right hand until I make thy foes thy footstool. Therefore, Peter says, let all the house of Israel know assured, that God hath made that same Jesus whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. When we read statements like this, brothers and sisters, of Jesus being made Lord and Christ, of the Son being given power or authority, or of the establishment of the Son's throne, what we are reading about is an investment of power into Christ as the officer of redemption, as the Messiah, as the mediator. He is given the authority and the power of the Father to execute that office. execute the office. It's a special authority and Christ has that authority by right because he's earned it. He earned it. This is that authority and that power which God the Father agreed to give the Son in that economy of redemption when he said, I will gather you and choose you out of people and you will die for those people and they will be your people. The Son had a mission when He came to earth, didn't He? Fulfill all righteousness and die for that people. And He kept that mission. He fulfilled it. He got the job done. And because He did what? He was raised on the third day. And He is ascended into heaven and He is seated at the right hand of the Father and given the right to reign in the kingdom. which is his possession because he purchased it with his life and his blood. And he reigns there on behalf of that kingdom as the only one who could have done it, right? This Redeemer, this Jesus Christ, when we read in these passages of this sat upon a throne has been given a kingdom and he has the right to govern that kingdom and exercise that power because the father has invested it in him. He has granted it to him. He has given that authority. Notice in verse 22 of Ephesians chapter one. So go back to Ephesians chapter one in verse 22, that in this investment of authority given by the father, all things are placed under his feet and he is the head over all things by divine right. He has earned it. and He is the only one with claim to it. And when the Scriptures say all things, brothers and sisters, realize that God the Father has invested the Son, your Redeemer, my Redeemer, our mediator, with the power to rule perfectly over His kingdom, with nobody else interfering, with nobody getting in the way, without any competition, without any frustration, all things. There's no question about who is in authority in the church. But it's not just an invested power that Jesus has. It's a divine power. It's a divine power because it's Christ's power also by His nature. Jesus is no mere man, right? He is the God-man. When He came to earth, it wasn't just a baby in a manger in a stable. It was the God-Man, the Mediator, the Redeemer, the One who was fulfilling His mission perfectly. It's at this point, brothers and sisters, that we should just stop a moment and dwell on the importance of the divine nature of Christ's power. God the Father has given God the Son all power and authority to rule. And Christ as God takes up that authority. Christ as the God-man takes up that authority. Let the strength, the wisdom, the perfection, the majesty, and the infinite nature of that power just stop you and take your breath away. Just let that sink in for a moment. Is there any lack? in a divine power? None. Only God could grant such power. And only God could wield such power, right? But such is our Heavenly Father who grants to the Son. And such is our Redeemer King who has a right to wield that authority. The second person of the Trinity The incarnate God-man, God in the flesh, has the right to bear that rule over all things in His kingdom. Isaiah chapter 9, verses 6-7 says it this way, Isaiah 9, 6-7, For unto us a child is born, and unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, of the increase of His government and peace, there shall be no end upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom. To order it, to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for evermore, the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. Only a divine king can bear the rule of this government on his shoulders alone. Only a divine king can order and establish an everlasting kingdom. There is no limit to the supply of this power. There is no concern over its wisdom, or its timing, or its providences. There is no doubt of its victory and might. Our Redeemer King is God himself. And I say to you, brothers and sisters, this is our King, King Jesus. And this is the unlimited divine power which our King has according to His divine nature. But it's not just an invested power. It's not just a divine power. It has a direction. It has a purpose. Christ takes up this power and He directs it toward His church. He exercises this power toward or on behalf of his church to preserve it. In saying that Christ Jesus wields this power, we are saying that the power he takes up, the power he exercises, what he does, what he directs toward his church is exercise always on behalf of the good, the good care of his church. Turn to Ephesians chapter one, verses 22 and 23. Paul says, and he hath put all things under his feet and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all. Jesus Christ as the son of God, that second person of the Trinity, has by nature a divine authority over all things as God. He is the king over all the nations as God. We sang of that in Psalm 24, didn't we? But Jesus Christ, the God-man, the only incarnate, the only exalted redeemer of God's elect, has an invested authority whereby he has rule and reign over his kingdom, the church, But God the Father has given him authority over all things to act for the good and on behalf of his church, to the benefit of his church. There's a relationship there, right? God, Jesus Christ as God rules and reigns in all the earth. Jesus Christ as Redeemer reigns in the church, but he directs all things in the earth on behalf of his mediatorial kingdom, his people, his sheep, his church, his body. Christ is the king of his church, and he directs all things in the earth for the growth and the establishment of that kingdom. In Matthew 28, we saw that it was upon the basis of that authority that God had given him that he sends out his apostles, that he sends out that commission, and that he will disciple the nations. Please turn with me to Psalm 22. Psalm 22, 27 through 28. We see a good example of this. Psalm 22, verses 27 through 28. All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord. and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee, for the kingdom is the Lord's, and he is the governor among the nations. Is Christ the king over all the nations? As God, but is he the mediator over all the nations? No. As God, he rules and reigns in the nations and directs them, so that his elect will be brought into the church, and so that they will be kept and preserved and cared for. Jesus is not the mediator of the whole world, but he exercises his unlimited authority and power in the earth for the advancement and care and protection and preservation of his church. And it will advance, as we see in Ephesians 1.23, until it is full of all its members. The church is Christ's body, and it will not be full until all members are united to its head. and it will be kept and it will be preserved until all is fulfilled, all is brought in in its fullness. Jesus Christ does not consider His kingdom complete in its fullness until He has brought in all of those for whom He has died. And therefore, He exercises His power in the earth for the redemption of all His people. He exercises this power on behalf of His church. Remember when Abraham went down into Egypt by Abimelech, and he lied about being there. And remember that he was given servants when he came out. God sent Abraham there because he had people to put into the covenant community. That's how he works. He sends people in the earth. He governs in the earth to draw his people in to the covenant community. Do you see the import of this? Nothing happens in this world which the divine king of the church has not purposed for the increase and the preservation of his kingdom. Nothing. Does a good king only advance his kingdom and then leave it vulnerable and open to attack? Does he? No. He advances and protects. He advances and protects. He advances and protects. A good king always considers the preservation of his kingdom and its advancement at all times. Now, if Christ is a perfect king with a divinely invested authority over all things, who rules and directs all things on behalf of his church, will he not also preserve that church? But this is more than just a king ruling in a church. This is a king, brothers and sisters, beloved, who loves his church. Loves it. Christ loved his church to the point of death, didn't he? He gave himself for her in order that he might purify and cleanse her. Turn with me to Ephesians chapter five, 25 through 29. Ephesians five, 25 through 29. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself, for no man ever yet hateth his own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it even as the Lord the church. He died for her, and he cherishes her, and he nourishes her, that he may have her for himself as a pure church, just as a husband would have for himself a pure wife. In Ephesians 5, we see the preserving nature of Christ's power in this. The church is established and preserved in her holiness and purity. The church is established and preserved in her glory. The church is strengthened and cared for and loved by her King and her Redeemer, who is also her great bridegroom. There's a love there. There's a love that motivates that preservation. And brothers and sisters, this is not just an intellectual truth. This is not just words on a page. This is an ongoing reality. Christ has betrothed the church to Himself and will keep it and He will preserve it unto the great marriage feast of the Lamb. Isn't this what we see in the beginning of the book of Revelation? Where do we find Christ? He's among the candlesticks. He's among her. He has the angels, the ministers in his hands. It's not their strength that preserves the church. It's Christ's hand. It's among the churches. And he walks among the candlesticks. Isn't this why in Matthew 28, 20, he gives promise of his presence always, right? I'll be with you always, even unto the end of the world. It's not just I'll be with you always just right now, but an ongoing continual reality. His reign is continual and personal. His love is continual and tender. And he is always about the work of preserving all his people in every age. even unto the end. Well, there is a great need for this preserving power, isn't there? We know of it, so we don't have to spend a lot of time on it. But there is a need. Although Christ is all-powerful, and although the outcomes are secure in his hand, there is a real danger for us, isn't there? And this danger rises up from a couple different ways, from different avenues, different directions. The first is that saints called into the church are still sinners. Although redeemed, although declared legally righteous, although we have a renewed will, we all struggle with remaining corruption. The church has no inherent power in itself to keep itself. We are weak and helpless, incapable of self-preservation. It is no accident that when Jesus describes his people, he describes us as helpless sheep who need a shepherd. We are prone to wander, and we need a mighty shepherd who can come along with the rod, who can also carry us on his shoulders when we need it. Church can be prone to division and strife. to idolatry, to innovation. Think of what we see in 1 and 2 Corinthians. This is the church of Christ that we see there, but it is struggling. There is sin in their midst. There is dissension. There's all sorts of things. And yet it's the church, and it's preserved, right? Didn't we see in Ephesians 4 last week that we are in the process of being brought to the unity of the truth? Brothers and sisters, that means we're not there yet. And so differences of opinion, ignorance, willfulness, pride, they all stand at that door when we walk in in the morning on a Sunday and it's a potential stumbling block for us to trip over and to cause strife and dissension and difficulty in the church. It's a real danger. The tongue, we could go for weeks talking about the dangers with the tongue. There's danger because saints are still sinners. And brothers and sisters, there's danger because ministers and elders are sinners too. We are. The officers are sinners too. There are those leaders in the church who have led people astray. Those elders who rule, even those who rule well, are imperfect. We have the treasure of the gospel, but we have it in earthen vessels. in earthen vessels. The weakness of the ministry can wound the sheep, creating a spirit of discouragement and fear, even threatening the church. There are also sins in the ministry which can wound congregations. We've probably given and received of them. We bear scars from those sorts of things. The danger is about us at every point. Further, brothers and sisters, the church is under attack. It's not that we're just vulnerable, we're also under attack. Hypocrites attack from within. Ephesians 4, 14, we read of those within the church that actually lie in wait in the church to deceive others. There are people that make it their business to try to deceive Christians. And they exist in the church. We said we're a mixed multitude. This is where God brings people to be saved. And we bring people into the church based on profession, but some people profess and are not believers and are actually those who would try to deceive and destroy. In 2 Timothy 2, we found last week that the church has both vessels of honor and dishonor. The devil attacks from without, so that's an attack from within, the hypocrite. Well, the devil, as a roaring lion without, seeks those whom he can devour." 1 Peter 5.8. The devil is the sworn enemy of the church. And he's pictured in Matthew 13, in that parable of the sower, as one that snatches the Word of God. Snatches the Word of God from the hearers. Matthew Henry says, speaks of the devil snatching that word in this way, the devil is a sworn enemy to our profiting by the word of God and none do more befriend his design than heedless hearers who are thinking of something else when they should be thinking of the things that belong to their peace. The devil is waiting there to snatch that word if you are not paying attention, boys and girls and adults. But it's easy not to pay attention, and that's when the devil really comes at us. Further, the world attacks from without. You know, the world hates Christ and his church. All men are born in enmity to God, and in their nature, as sinners, they'd do anything to be rid of this church. Think of all the enemies of the Old Testament that came again and again and again after Israel and after Jerusalem. Think of all the resistance that the apostles had, not just from the Jew, but even in those Gentile cities. Again and again and again, the world would seek to stop. There is a beast from the sea that would seek to devour that virgin, that beautiful bride of Christ. Well, the danger is real, brothers and sisters, but have no fear. because Christ exercises his power on behalf of the church. Christ preserves his church through his power. Jesus told his disciples in John 16, 33, in the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world. Christ, listen to me very carefully, Christ has ordained the dangers which the church faces. He's been given authority over all things on behalf of his church. That means he directs all things, right? He has ordained the dangers which the church faces. And this is not for her destruction, but rather for her good. It is for her good. In that same passage where Paul talked about vessels of honor and dishonor in the church, he says that the foundation of God standeth sure, firm, fixed, steady. You may see vessels for dishonor, you may see dissension, you may see danger, you may see difficulty, but the foundation is as sure in that moment as it was when you didn't see the danger. It's always fixed, it's always steady, it's always sure. Rather than destroying the church, afflictions and difficulty are often the means of sanctifying and purifying her. Think about this, brothers and sisters, every affliction, every affliction that a believer deals with or is brought into their life is a sanctifying affliction, right? God brings afflictions to sanctify you. And every one is for that end for the believer. Every trial brought to a true church of Christ is a purifying trial. In Psalm 119, in verse 67, in verse 71, in verse 75, we hear of the good that affliction wroughts. Before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now I have kept thy word. It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn thy statutes. I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right and that thou in faithfulness has afflicted. And turn with me to Hebrews 12. Let's put this one in our mind. Hebrews 12, 4-11. Hebrews 12, 4-11. Ye have not resisted unto blood, striving against sin. And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children. My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him. For whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons. For what son is he whom the Father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards and not sons. Furthermore, we had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence. Shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure, but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous. Nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. In verse 10, brothers and sisters, did you hear it? The chastening of the Lord comes so that we would be partakers of his holiness. Christ does not ordain trials and attacks for our destruction, but for our correction, that we might be more holy. And further, never forget that Christ exercises his preserving power in the midst of afflictions. in the midst of trials as a means of bearing us up under those trials while we are being purified. Remember that three men were thrown into a furnace in Daniel's day, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, but four men were in that fiery furnace, weren't there? Christ was indeed with them in that purifying trial. Remember that when we pass through the waters, He will be with us, and the rivers will not overtake us. Remember 1 Corinthians 10, 13, there is no temptation or trial which will be more than you can bear. Now there are two ways in which Christ exercises His preserving power. He does it in ordinary ways and in extraordinary ways. We're going to save the discussion for ordinary ways until next week. Look at how Christ ordinarily preserves his church. But I want to give you some examples in closing of Christ's extraordinary preserving power among his church. Though these are not ordinary, and though we should not live our lives expecting to see the extraordinary deliverances of God, they do give us hope, don't they? Because the God who has delivered people in extraordinary ways is our God. And there is nothing that we should fear. Because if you were thrown into a furnace, you may not come out alive, not even smelling like the smoke, but Christ will be there with you. But there was a time when three men stood in that furnace and came out not even smelling like smoke. I have three examples quickly. Do you remember how Paul and Silas were preserved in that Philippian jail? Didn't they pray and sing unto the Lord, and what did God do? He worked a mighty earthquake, such that all the gates were opened. They were preserved in the midst of trial. Do you remember how in 2 Chronicles 32, after King Hezekiah had worked great reforms, with regard to the worship of Old Testament Israel, how Sennacherib, king of Assyria, sent his servants and his military to lay siege to Jerusalem, and how everyone was deathly afraid. We're undone. We're undone. In fact, Sennacherib tried, through his ministers, tried to get the people to think that this was God's judgment because they had removed idolatry from the land. They were tempted to think that this bad providence is on us because we reformed. So it's difficult, very difficult for them. And so in verse 20 of 2 Chronicles 32, we have this, for this cause Hezekiah the king and the prophet Isaiah, the son of Amoz prayed and cried to heaven. And the Lord sent an angel which cut off all the mighty men of valor and the leaders and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land, and when he was come into the house of his God, they came forth of its own bowels that slew him there with the sword. Thus the Lord saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, and from the hand of all other, and guided them on every side. And many brought gifts unto the Lord to Jerusalem. and presence to Hezekiah, king of Judah, so that he was magnified in the sight of all nations from thenceforth." You see how God didn't just preserve them, he drew them near to himself and then he advanced them after he marvelously delivered them. Do you remember how in 1 Samuel 7, after the Israelites, Remember how Eli's sons had wickedly taken that ark out into battle and they'd lost the ark to the Philistines. Remember how the Philistines, boys and girls, sent that back? And it sat for 20 years. The ark came back and it sat for 20 years in the house of Abinadab. And after 20 years, suffering under the afflictions at the hands of the Philistines, the church of the Old Testament lamented unto the Lord And they returned unto the Lord, and they cried out to Samuel. And you remember how they came to Mizpah, to Samuel, to confess and repent of their sins, to offer burnt offerings to the Lord? And you would think at that moment that everything would be great, except the Philistines know that all Israel is gathered to Mizpah, and they didn't bring all of their weapons. They're not ready to fight. They're there weeping with their children, with their wives. And so here come the Philistines. Here they come on the attack. And so picking up the account in 1 Samuel 7, verse 7, we read, And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines. And the children of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to cry unto the Lord our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines. And Samuel took a sucking lamb and offered it for a burnt offering wholly unto the Lord. And Samuel cried unto the Lord for Israel, and the Lord heard him. And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel. But the Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines and discomfited or confused them. And they were smitten before Israel. And the men of Israel went out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and smote them until they came to Beth-kar. Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shan, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us. So the Philistines were subdued, and they came no more into the coast of Israel. and the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. We see in these accounts the extraordinary preservation of Christ for his people, don't we? We may not be preserved in the same way in this day, but I want you to be reminded that it is the same Jehovah, it is the same Christ, it is the same principle of preservation, and it is the same principle of deliverance. in principle, because Christ has preserved us. We too may also say with Samuel, hitherto hath the Lord helped us. Let me bring this home to us in conclusion. Brothers and sisters, we have been preserved and we will be preserved. The history of this church is one of the continual demonstration of Christ's preserving power. It's continual. We have been sustained for over 20 years, and we have not just been preserved. We have been prospered. Oh, we've had our trials. We will have our trials. but we have been preserved in each one and we have been sanctified and purified in each one. We have grown in wisdom, right? Remember what Paul prayed? We have grown in wisdom. We have grown in revelation. We have grown in the knowledge of Christ. And why? Because our King is ruling. He's ruling among us. He's ruling over us. He's defending us. And no matter what may come, with the Lord on our side, there is no reason to fear. In time of trouble, let us therefore wait upon the Lord, trusting in His preserving care and watching for the deliverance of God. Watch for it. It's coming. You may not know where it's coming from. You may not know how it's coming from, but he's going to keep you. He's going to keep his church. And let us learn to say with the psalmist, as we look at a description of this preserving power of Christ in Psalm 21, let us learn to say, I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills. From whence cometh my help? My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved. He that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper. The Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil. He shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, even forevermore. Amen. Let us pray.