Welcome to prayer meeting. Our opening hymn is 352. 352. 303. 353. Sorry, 353. God will take care of you. 353. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. 353. Be not dismayed, whate'er betide, God will take care of you. Beneath His wings of love abide, God will take care of you. God will take care of you through every day, all the way. He will take care of you. God will take care of you. Through days of toil when heart doth fail, God will take care of you. When dangers fierce your path assail, God will take care of you. The hymn is 353. God will take care of you through every day of all the way. He will take care of you. God will take care of you. All you may need, He will provide. God will take care of you. Nothing you ask will be denied. God will take care of you. God will take care of you. through every day of all the way. He will take care of you. God will take care of you. No matter what may be the test, God will take care of you. Lean will rewound upon his breast God will take care of you God will take care of you Through every day of all the way He will take care of you God will take care of you." Across the page 354. God leads us along. 354. God leads us along. In shady green pastures so rich and so sweet, God leads His dear children along. Where the water's cool flow bathes the weary one's feet, God leads His dear children along. Some through the water, some through the flood, some through the fire, but all through the blood. Some through great sorrow, but God gives a song in the night season and all the day long. Sometimes on the mount where the sun shines so bright, God leads His dear children along. Sometimes in the valley in darkest of night, God leads His dear children along. Some through the water, some through the flood Some through the fire, but all through the blood Some through great sorrow, but God gives a song In the night season and all the day long Though the sorrows we've borne have sent Satan low-posed, God leads His dear children along. Through faith, singing, conquering, doing, and of droves, God leads His dear children along. Some through the water, some through the flood Some through the fire, but all through the blood Some through great sorrow, but God gives a song In the night season and all the day long Away from the mar and away from the clay, God leads His dear children along. Away in glory, eternity's day, God leads His dear children along. Some through the water, some through the flood. Some through the fire, but all through the blood. Some through great sorrow, but God gives a song. in the night season and all the day long. 355. Day by day. 355. Day by day. Day by day and with each passing moment, Strength I find to meet my trials here. Trusting in my Father's wise bestowment, I've no cause for worry or for fear. He on all measure gives unto each day what He deems best. Lovingly is part of pain and pleasure, mingling toil with peace and rest. Every day the Lord Himself is near me With a special mercy for each hour All my cares He faintly wills will cheer me He whose name is Counselor and Power The protection of His child and treasure, Is a charge that on Himself He laid. As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure, This the pledge to me He made. Help me then in every tribulation, So to trust Thy promises, O Lord. I will use not faith's sweet consolation, Only within Thy holy Word. We know the challenge of our meeting, As to take us from the Father's hand. One by one, the noise, the moments fleeting, Till I reach the promised land. Amen. Isaiah chapter 43. Isaiah chapter 43. Let us read responsively the entire chapter, Isaiah chapter 43. But now, thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, fear not, for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by my name, thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee. And through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee. When thou walkest through the fire, thou shall not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee." Verse 3. For I am the Lord thy God, The Holy One of Israel, Thy Saviour, I gave Egypt for Thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for Thee. Since Thou wast precious in my sight, Thou hast been honourable, and I have loved Thee. Therefore will I give men for Thee, and people for Thy life." Verse 5. Fear not, for I am with Thee. I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west. I will say to the north, give up, and to the south, keep not back. Bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth." even everyone that is called by My name. For I have created Him for My glory. I have formed Him. Yea, I have made Him. Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears. Let all the nations be gathered together. and let the people be assembled who among them can declare this and show us former things. Let them bring forth their witnesses that they may be justified, or let them hear and say it is truth. Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen, that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he. Before me there is no God formed, neither shall there be after me. Even I am the Lord, and beside me there is no Saviour. I have declared and have saved, and I have showed when there was no strange God among you. Therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God. Yea, before the day am I He. and there is none that can deliver out of my hand. I will work, and who shall let it? Thus saith the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. For your sake I have sent to Babylon, and have brought down all their nobles, and the Chaldeans, whose cry is in the sheaves. I am the Lord, your Holy One. the Creator of Israel, your King. Thus saith the Lord, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters, which bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power, they shall lie down together, they shall not rise, they are extinct, they are quenched, as told. Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old, Verse 19. Behold, I will do a new thing. Now it shall spring forth, and shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, The beasts of the field shall honour me, the dragons in the hours, because I give waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert to give drink to my people, my chosen. These people have I formed for myself. They shall show forth my praise. But thou hast not called me, O Paul, O Jacob, but thou hast been weary of me, O Israel. Thou hast not brought me the small cattle of thy burnt offerings, neither hast thou honoured me with thy sacrifices. I have not caused thee to serve with an offering, nor wearied thee with incense. Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money, neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices, but thou hast made me to serve with thy sins. thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities. I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for my own sake, and will not remember thy sins. Put me in remembrance. Let us plead together. Declare thou that thou mayest be justified. Thy first father hath sinned, and thy teachers have transgressed against me. Therefore I have profaned the princess of the sanctuary, and have given Jacob to the curse, and Israel to reproaches." Amen. Thank God for the reading of His precious word. I will be with thee is the title of our message, taken from Isaiah chapter 43, and we have three thoughts. Fear not, verse 1 to 21. Forsake not the Lord, verse 22 to 25. Remember Him, verse 26 to 28. The presence of the Lord with His people, to protect and defend them, to lead and guide them, provide and care for their every need. What a privilege it is to have our God so nigh to us. We are told that even the hairs of our head are all numbered. How precious we are in the sight of God. And does the people of God get tired of the Lord because He's so good to them? Well, this was a backdrop of the issue with the people of God in Israel. How ungrateful it will be, isn't it? And yet, this was exactly the story of the children of Israel. God has promised to be with them. All they needed was to acknowledge Him for His goodness and grace upon them daily. You see, as you look at the world around us, you look at the animals, the animal kingdom, how the Lord takes care of them. Solomon describes the lily, he describes the beautiful flower, and they toil not nor spin, and yet the Lord takes care of them. Israel began with a family, Abraham and his wife Sarah. All families begin like that, isn't it? With the husband and the wife. And God's care for them can be affirmed. From a single family, God multiplied them to a nation of families. God's care for them did not wane. In fact, God's promises to them were all fulfilled. Were there times of anxiety that they go through? Yes, Abraham did so. Isaac did not come until 25 years after God promised them. 25 years. He was 75 when he left the Earl of the Chaldees for Canaan. And he was 100 years old, a century old, that the son Isaac came. He had to wait 25 years. But was God's promise fulfilled? Yes, God's promise was fulfilled. But not according to Abraham's time, isn't it? Not according to Sarah's time. And oftentimes we may be said that we are very impatient people. We live in a world where we see things with an instant. But God doesn't work that way. The Prophet Isaiah seeks to encourage the people of God in Judah to keep trusting the Lord. Even in those moments where God says to us, wait. Would we be still before Him to wait? Can we simply trust Him and wait upon Him? The Prophet Isaiah seeks to encourage the people of God in Judah. You remember by the time he wrote this text, the Northern Kingdom would have been deposed. And only the southern kingdom is left. The Assyrians came and attacked and destroyed and deported all their brothers in the ten tribes up north. And now there's only two tribes, Judah and Benjamin, down south. And the army of the Assyrians came and surrounded the city. God delivered them. by an angel. 185,000 of the Assyrian army was destroyed in one night. So we have the Lord taking care of us. And Isaiah's message to the people is that we fear not. We trust Him. When we love the Lord and follow Him, Isaiah says, perfect love casteth out all fear. There is no fear in love. When we trust the Lord, we love Him, we serve Him, we follow Him. He takes care of us. And so verse 1 of our text says, But now, thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and He that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not, for I have redeemed thee. I have called thee by thy name. Thou art mine." The people of Israel ought to be so realised that they are the precious creation of God. The God who had created men, who went astray from Him, It's brought back to him through his redemptive work. God made the best paradise for Adam and Eve. And they didn't realise that it was a paradise that God gave them. You know, we have a room for our prayer meeting, where we can meet to pray. Do you despise such a setting that God has given us to pray? Would we despise it and say we will not come for prayer meeting? And we would give up the privilege that God has given to us? Sometimes we do not see what privilege God has given to us. To be able to come before Thee to worship Him, to enjoy Him, to be guided by Him, Well, when we come to God, He shows us the way ahead. He not just prepares us now, but He prepares us for the future when we meet with Him. And God knows every step that we would take and the dangers that we would encounter. And so he says to Adam and Eve, because of their curiosity, because of their wanting to see and enjoy something that Satan promised them that was not true, They were deceived. They were badly deceived. And because they were deceived, they fell into a trap. And in that trap, they were hurt. And there was pain. You see, Adam and Eve became fearful. when the glory of God departed from them, when they sin against God, the protective cover of God. You know, because we are the children of God, God protects us. He gives us His shield. But when we willfully sin against Him, you realize that that shield is broken. Adam and Eve was vulnerable. And God had to make coats of skin to clothe their nakedness because the glory of God which clothed them before they fell was removed from them when they sinned against God. And they felt their nakedness. and they try to hide themselves. It is a fearful thing when we sin against God because the guilt in the conscience will plague us and cause us to have no peace, no rest in our hearts. It's so unbearable. Indeed, God called Adam by his name. And the Lord knew him and cared for him. And the Lord God called unto Adam and said to him, where art thou? Where are you? Where are you? He was asking, why were the people missing? in church? Why were they missing out their privilege that God has given them? Why are they giving up the good things that God has promised to bestow upon them when they stayed away? How good is the Lord? Do we realise it? Verse 2, When Thou passest through the waters, I will be with Thee. And through the rivers, they shall not overflow Thee. When Thou walkest through the fire, Thou shall not be burned. Neither shall the flame kindle upon Thee. Through all the vicissitudes of life, God does not forsake His people, but is with them in every trial that He put them through. That is why the Lord gives His promise, isn't it? There hath no temptation taken you, but such as is common to men. But God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted. Above that ye are able, but will with a temptation also make a way of escape, that ye may be able to bear it. 1 Corinthians 10.13 that God provides the way out for you. When you pass through the waters, the Lord is with you. He knows the danger, the calamity that is befalling you. And He has the ability to keep you alive, despite the overwhelming physical odds of water threatening to drown them. The crossing of the Red Sea, the crossing of Jordan, to escape from the enemies and to inherit the promised land. God had to do something miraculous. So I used to be called an agnostic. If you don't give me reason, I won't be able to believe this God. How foolish. Because reason has a limitation when it comes to God, isn't it? In this world, there are things that happen that are supernatural, that are miraculous, that you cannot reason. And therefore, what do you do when you face those things? Well, reason reaches a limit, isn't it? So I asked, I told myself, if you cannot explain to me, then I cannot believe you. How foolish. Because I have not seen a higher dimension of things. The spiritual realm, the power of God, And that can only be received by faith, isn't it? The power of the invisible God. Can you reason with Him? He doesn't have to tell you what He's doing. You just do what He pleases to do. And so, you realise that reason reaches war, isn't it? If you use reason to guide your life, it must be reasonable, I must be able to think through. Well, there are certain mathematical enigmas in life that just cannot be reasonably reasoned, isn't it? And so what do you do when you're going through a trial? Do you reason with yourself to say that, oh, I look at this, things are like that, and therefore like this, and then I form a conclusion? Is it a reasonable conclusion? I say to you that if you know that there is a God, and that he cares for you and is working out all things well in your life, then it is not a reasonable conclusion for us to surmise, for us to think by our own understanding and to reason how flawed we can be. Isn't it? How many factors that goes into an equation, the complexity of things, can we comprehend? We realize that there is a higher power, and it's infinitely better than ours. And so the Lord had to assure the people of Israel because they would be going through trials. Remember when Isaiah was writing this, Israel or Judah was going down, going in the downward slide in their spiritual life. And it would go down, down, down until they reached rock bottom. They would be deported to Babylon. They have clung on to their idols. But the Lord here is promising them that He will be with them while they will be deported out of Babylon, when they see their babies pierced, when they see their city burned. The Lord says to them, when thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee. A frightening thought, isn't it? Going through chastisement. And yet the Lord says, I will be with thee. Going through trials. Daniel's three friends were saved from the fiery furnace because they refused to bow down to the image of Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel 3 verse 17. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O King. What daring words that he dared to affront the most powerful man on earth. He had the power of life and death in His hand. And yet they knew that there is a higher power. You see, when we realise that there is a higher being, God, that is taking care of our lives, our lives is changed. It's no longer so simple in the three dimensions. There is another dimension. that we cannot see, that is real. Mysterious, isn't it? But not so mysterious, because God revealed Himself to us in His Word. And if you take time to dwell in His Word, then it becomes clearer to you. That spiritual dimension, which most of the time determines all things, you see. Verse 18. But if not be it known unto thee, O King, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. He knew who is in charge, who is in control, of his life. And therefore, he will not fear to human threatenings, to natural happenings. There is a kind of strength that is in the heart of the child of God, to know that God is in charge. has the power to hold us up. And through the rivers, He will be with thee. The rivers are expressive of calamity and danger. And yet they were able to be kept alive, despite the overwhelming physical odds of water threatening to drown them. Daniel 3 verse 19 to 20. Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, before he spake and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times, more than it was wont to be heated. And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and cast them into the burning, fiery furnace." Therefore, because the king's commandment was urgent and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, fell down, bound in the midst of the fiery furnace. Then Nebuchadnezzar was astonished. and rose up in haste and spake and said unto his counsellors, did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, true, O king. And he said, and they answered and said, lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire. And they have no hurt. And the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. Dear friends, the Lord promised His people, I will be with thee. I will be with thee. Fear not. Is there some time that you fear? Can you remember these words of the Lord in those times of your fear? I am with thee. I am with thee. Can you repeat that in your heart? Every time you feel fearful, I am with thee, the Lord says to you. I am with thee. Can you understand what the Lord is saying to you? I am with thee. Fear not. The form of the fourth is like the Son of God. Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the fiery furnace and spake and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the Most High God, come forth and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came forth in the midst of the fire. And the princes, and the governors, and the captains, and the kings, counselors being gathered together saw this man, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was a hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them." Isaiah 41 verse 10, we were going through. Fear not, fear thou not, for I am with thee. Be not dismayed, for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee. Yea, I will help thee. Do you feel helpless sometimes? The Lord says to you that He is able to help you. Fear not. Be not dismayed. Do not be discouraged. Yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Verse 3, for I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour. I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. So the Lord continues the statement of the reasons why He would protect them. He was the Lord their God. He was not only the true God, but He was the God who had entered into solemn covenant with them, and who would therefore protect and defend them. So when you put your faith and your trust in the Lord, you are a people, the Lord says, that is chosen by the Lord, that you are protected by Him. that He will defend you. And so, need we fear? Should we fear? We should not. We must not, isn't it? He is the Holy One of Israel. The other nations worshipped other gods. Gods made with man's hands, no power. But the God of Israel is the true God. And He is thy Saviour. So here again, the Lord reminds them that He will save them. And they need to know that you're not alone. I'm with thee. That you have a saviour who has committed himself to take care of you. Can you hear, can you understand it? If we have understood it, then we must not fear. Fear not. Fear not. Verse four. Since thou was precious in my sight, thou has been honourable, and I have loved thee, therefore will I give men for thee and people for thy life." Wow, what a privilege it is, isn't it, to be the people of God, to be precious in the sight of God. In other words, you are greatly valued. You are worth a lot in the sight of God. And that is why He loved them. And He was willing, therefore, that others should not overcome them and that they should be saved. He would cause even other nations to be destroyed. so that they would be delivered, so that they would be protected. This is the extent to which God will do for His people. And so we learn here that nations and armies are in the hand of God. They are at His disposal. And we must not fear that His people are dear to His heart, And that it is His purpose to defend them. It is His purpose to defend them. And as Albert Barnes well put it, the revolutions among nations, the rise of one empire, the fall of another, are often in order to promote the welfare of His Church. to promote the welfare of His Church. The events that are happening around us. Have we not prayed? Have we not sought the Lord? Did He not answer? Well, we did so last year, isn't it? 108 weeks. Or 108 sessions, not weeks. Did he not hear? The Lord heard. The Lord overturned. Is He powerful? Very powerful. Do you see Him working? That His people should put the utmost confidence in God as being able to defend them as having formed a purpose to preserve and save them. So God is not only going to save you for this life, through this danger that you're going through, but He's going to save you all the way until you reach heaven. When you see heaven itself, the streets of gold, So verse 5, he says, fear not, for I am with thee. The word for there is to let you know why you should not fear. The Lord says, I'm with you. I'm with you. So what is he talking about? Well, he's talking about the time when they would be scattered to Babylon. The time when they had reason to fear. the time when they knew that whatever that was physically seen with their eyes seemed impossible for them to overcome, the Lord tells them that those are the times when they need to exercise faith. Those are the times when they must realise that the Lord is still with them. I will bring thy seed from the east and gather thee from the west. I will say to the north, give up to the south, keep not back. Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth, even everyone that is called by my name, for I have created him for my glory." Isn't it the day when the Lord would come, the trumpet will sound, and the dead in Christ shall rise, and those who are alive will be caught up with the Lord in the air from the north, from the south, from the east, from the west. All will be caught up. Those in the middle, all will be caught up. None will be left behind. For the Lord says, I have formed him, yea, I have made him. Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears. Well, we see the illusion of their scattering and its regathering of them, their first return, 516 BC, 70 years after the destruction of Jerusalem in 586. Their second return in 1948. 1948 is in our lifetime. You can see it through the videos. We had one camp where we remember that year we were in Jewel. That year when the Jewel opened. That year when the Lord allowed us to be there. And there we look at the history of Israel, how the Lord, and we had many videos, remember? Many videos to testify of what the Lord did for His people. 1948, their return. And in the times of Christ, the blind received their sight, and the deaf hear again. God manifests in human flesh to show the reality of His power. How do you demonstrate the reality of the power of God? God comes in human flesh and does the miracles before you. So when you read the Bible, this is what the Lord is saying to you. This has happened. Christ came in the flesh. The lepers were cleansed. The deaf could see, the lame could walk. Or the deaf could hear, and the lame could walk, and the blind could see. God coming in the human flesh to help us to see the reality of His power. Can we see it? Do we still not see it? It is before us already, so clear. Can you see it? Let us see it. Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled, who among you can declare this, show us formal things, let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified, or let them hear and say, it is truth. Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen, that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he, Before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me." You see, the trouble with God's people is that they go after their own idols. They forsook the Lord. They forsook the way of holiness, the right way in which God sought for them to live, for them to do. And so here God challenges the worshippers of idols to produce proofs that their God is real. For they are false. And the Lord showed them how He will deliver them. out of Babylon. Yea, before the day was I, was I, am he. And there is none, verse 13, that can deliver out of my hand. I will work, and who shall let it? Thus saith the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, for your sake I have sent to Babylon, and have brought down all their nobles and the Chaldeans, whose cry is in the ships. The Lord shall deliver them from their captivity in Babylon." It was a forecast of future deliverance. This was how good the Lord was, or this is how good the Lord is in showing His people how He would mould and shape them to conform in His image. You see, He is making a a piece of great art from a molten clay, as it were. It has to be shaped properly. And in order to remove all the rough edges, he sends us trials. He tests us. He tries us. And He says to us, verse 15, I am the Lord, your Holy One. You have not conformed to my image, and I am doing so through your circumstances so that you will conform to my image, that it will be for your good. Thus saith the Lord, which maketh a way in the sea and a path in the mighty waters, which bringeth forth the chariot, and the horse, and the army, and the power, they shall lie down together, they shall not rise, they are extinct, they are quenched, they are stolen." Their deliverance from Egypt. God opened the Red Sea and then God closed the Red Sea. open the Red Sea at the right time for them to cross, close the Red Sea at the right time so that the enemies would all be drowned. The entire enemy, the entire army of the Egyptians drowned. I am the Lord, Your Holy One, Your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, Your King. Is He your King? Here the Lord says to us, He repeated to them, He is the One that leads them. He is the One who made them and He is the One who leads them. He is your King. So what does it mean? You see, the Lord said when He was on earth, He tried to explain to us what it means to have God as your King. And so he says to them in Luke's Gospel, chapter 17 and verse 20, the kingdom of God cometh not with observation. Neither shall we say lo here and lo there, for the kingdom of God is within you. Where is the kingdom of God? It's in your heart. You see? You think it is anywhere? Where is God? God is with you, in you. And would you obey Him? Would you follow Him? That's the proof, isn't it? Is He king in your life or you are king in your own life? We want to be king in our own life, isn't it? But God says, no. Let Him be king in your life. And so what is He doing? He is helping us defeat our enemies, defeat ourselves. Verse 18. Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old? Behold, I will do a new thing. Now it shall spring forth, shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. The beasts of the field shall honour me and the dragons and the owls. Because I give waters in the wilderness and rivers in the deserts to give drink to my people, my chosen, these people have I formed for myself. They shall show forth my praise. So they were so low in the apse of their faith, very low. They have reached the valley, the bottom of the valley already. And the Lord tells them with very encouraging words, that He is the Lord, their Redeemer. He will not only redeem them, but He will also deliver them from their bondage. From their bondage. To be in bondage is a terrible thing. To be bind and chained. We say today the chain is not a physical chain, it's a mental chain. The people today are bind in their minds. They are bound in their minds. It's a mental chain, isn't it? And how can you break that mental chain? by the spiritual power of God, you see. I am with thee, the Lord says. If you know that the Lord is with you, then your mind would be strong, isn't it? Your mind would not succumb to the devil's insinuations, and you will be able to see what he's saying is not true, and what he's saying is true. You will be able to distinguish right from wrong, truth from error. And so, all this He said to them, that they may not forsake Him. He is not saying to them, He is saying to them when things are so well. Things were still well for them. But a time will come when things will not be well. And the Lord is saying to them in advance that they need to practice their faith. In those times when you are tried, forsake not the Lord. Verse 22 to 25. And you see the contrary things that they were doing in their lives. But thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob. Verse 22. And thou hast been weary of me." You are sick of the Lord. You are sick of God. How can you be sick of the Lord? The One who sustains you, the One who keeps you, are you sick of Him? I don't want to follow Him anymore. Thou hast not brought me the small cattle of Thy burnt offerings, neither hast Thou honoured me with Thy sacrifices. I have not caused Thee to serve with an offering, nor wearied Thee with incense. Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money, neither hast Thou filled me with the fat of Thy sacrifices, but Thou hast made me to serve with Thy sins. We come to God with our sins. And we parade our sins before God and say, it's okay. It's okay. Thou hast wearied me with thy iniquities, our refusal to repent. I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for my own sake. And so he pleads with his people, forsake not the Lord. and will not remember thy sins." When we would come to the Lord and we would be willing to give up our sins and admit that we are wrong, our sins would be blotted out and we won't face the consequences of our transgressions. So the Lord reasoned with His people for all His goodness that they have received there seemed to be an unequal response from them. So the Lord is saying to them, unacceptable, unacceptable. The princess of the sanctuary, the priest, verse 26 to 28, remember him, remember the Lord. Put me in remembrance. Let us plead together. Declare thou that thou mayest be justified. thy first father have sinned, thy teachers have transgressed against me. Therefore I have profaned the princes of the sanctuary, and I have given Jacob to the curse, and Israel to reproaches." What a terrible thing, isn't it? The entire nation was destroyed. They were supposed to be a people of God. but no longer, as it were. They were no more in their land. They were no longer a nation. We said a nation must have a people, must have a constitution, must have a land. They were out of their land. They were scattered everywhere. Were they still a nation? Well, they are. still a people, the people of God, you see, in the making. Do we see it? So the Lord gave the Church the Great Commission. He says to us, I'm with thee. All power in heaven and in earth is given unto me, the Lord says, and I'm with thee. What a promise that He has given us. for His work. Let us not be unequal to our task, but to rise up to the challenge that the Lord has placed for His people. We must do so, for we can do no other, isn't it? Only one life to live. You squander it, you squander it. You blow it, you blow it. We don't want to blow it, right? We want to live it well. So may the Lord help us. May the Lord be gracious. Amen.