As we were singing that last verse, I thought, Lord, help me. That last verse, it says, within thy word and thy book revealed, show me the truth, show me the truth. open my eyes that I might see the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ. You know, if we see him tonight, the Spirit of God gives us some understanding. We've been made to worship. We've been made to rejoice, see the Lord. I want you to take your Bibles and turn with me to the book of Zechariah, Zechariah. I'm gonna actually be in Zechariah two, but I wanna make a few comments out of Zechariah chapter one. You know when the Lord is pleased. to show mercy to a people of his love and affection. This was my experience and I know it was yours too. But when the Lord is pleased to show mercy to a people that he's everlastingly loved in Christ, you know what he does? He sends a preacher. That's what he does. He sends a preacher. preacher to speak to the people concerning his good pleasure and will to save them from their sins. This is the this is the good news of the gospel And tonight, I wanna look at a couple of verses out of Zechariah 1, because that's the case that's set forth right here. Zechariah 1, verse 1 to 3 says, in the eighth month, second year, Darius, came the word of the Lord unto Zechariah, the son of Bekiah, son of Edo, the prophet, saying, the Lord hath been sore displeased with your fathers. Therefore say thou unto them, thus saith the Lord of hosts, turn ye unto me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. It's a miracle of God's grace that God Almighty would speak to a people, but if the Lord gonna speak, he's gonna speak out of his word. He's gonna speak according to these scriptures. Those that the Lord has called particular vessels of his mercy and choosing, they've been everlastingly loved, but they fail in Adam's transgression, but those that the Lord has chosen to show mercy. You know what's going to happen? He's going to gather them. He's going to gather his sheep. He's going to bring them openly into the fold of his kindness and love. But these elect, They're going to see something of what they are. And they're going to see something of the mercy of Almighty God. Zechariah, deal in chapter 1, verse 16 and 17. Here's what the Lord says. Therefore saith... I'm sorry, verse 16. Therefore thus saith the Lord, I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies. My house shall be built in it, saith the Lord of hosts, and the line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem. Cry yet, saying thus, saith the Lord of hosts. My cities, through prosperity, shall yet be spread abroad, and the Lord shall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusalem. I want you to tell God's people You tell them of their plight. You tell them of their fall. You tell them of their fall in the garden. You tell them. But you tell them of my love toward them. You tell my people of my good pleasure to show them mercy. I'm gonna show mercy to them. You tell them. Lord Jehovah had promised that his people would have all their safety for all eternity in one place, in the person of his blessed son, in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the foundation and the surety of that promise is gonna be according to God's word. He says in Zechariah 2, verse 5, For I, saith the Lord, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her. God is going to bring His people. He's going to get them unto the sound of the gospel. That's the power of God unto salvation. He's going to save them by grace. He's going to keep them. He promised. He promises this in the New Testament. He promised it in the Old Testament. This is the word of the Lord. I will have mercy on whom I'll have mercy. So with that revelation, that promise of God's good pleasure to a people of God's choosing, found out of the mass of all humanity, knowing that they were born spiritually, dead, trespasses and sins, knowing that the Lord has promised to call them out in power and mercy. I want us to consider for just a few minutes something out of the book of Zechariah chapter two that just struck me. I'm gonna look at about four verses. But there's something that struck me out of one of these verses that just held me and I began to look at it a few days ago and I'll be honest with you, I struggled with it. I really struggled with what was being said, but I think that the Lord has given me some understanding on it. And I wanna just share it with you. It's just one of those passages of scripture that just arrest God's people. So, let's just look at this. When the Lord is pleased to save his own, he's gonna call them. He's gonna call them. You know, the scripture says that my sheep hear my voice. I know them. They follow me. I give unto them eternal life. They're never gonna perish. How does God people call? How does God call, I mean, his people? How does he call them? Well, we've just said it a moment ago through the scriptures, but I want you to listen. Now let's just look at something. I'm gonna look at verses six to nine tonight. Zechariah chapter two. Look at verse six. Look how the scriptures begins to speak. Ho! Ho! I looked at that, I looked those words up, I looked, well, one word, said two times, and here's what it says, here's what it means. Alas! Woe! This is a call that's to be taken seriously. I mean, we talk about the Lord calling His people. That's a serious matter to be considered, how God calls His people. Here's what the Spirit of God moved Zechariah to write down. Ho, ho, come forth and flee from the land of the north, saith the Lord, for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven, saith the Lord. Alas! Wake up, wake up, alas, whoa. This call, hear the word of the Lord. Come forth, the Lord is speaking, and flee, make escape, take your flight from the land of the north, saith the Lord, for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of heaven saith the Lord. Now, this land of the north, I began to read that and I was trying to see the meaning of this thing. What is this land of the north? Well, in the next verse, in verse seven, it tells us what the land of the north is. Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon. This land of the north, there was a physical place in the land that they were, and it was in the northern part, and it was, but it was a place where the heathen, where the rebels, where those that knew not the Lord dwelled. And God's people had, over the years, they had, because of captivity, they'd mingled with them and they, traded with them and they began to be real buddy buddies to them. And here's the call of the Lord, the call that goes out to God's people. We're all sitting tonight in a place where we've been blessed to be able to meet together and hear the gospel, but there's places all over this country And I, without a doubt, believe that God's people are found in these places, but are yet to be called out of darkness. I truly believe the reason we're still here tonight, Chuck, is because the Lord hadn't called all of His people out. Whenever the Lord calls His people out, He'd come back to get them. When the Lord's called all of His people out, He's gonna come get them and take them home. But for the Spirit of God to move upon a preacher named Zechariah, to write this down, he says, oh, listen, come forth, flee. Come out of the land of the north, saith the Lord. Come out of the land of rebellion. Come out of the land of false religion. Easy believe in Him. Come out. Separate yourself. Have no fellowship with the darkness of unbelief. This is the same message that was set forth in Revelation 18, verse 4. And I heard another voice from heaven saying, come out of her, my people. that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. These that are called, called to flee and sent forth with a purpose, they're sent forth with a reason. God calls His people out of darkness. He said in that sixth verse, ho, ho, come forth and flee from the land of the north, saith the Lord, for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of heaven, saith the Lord. I have spread you abroad. I have placed you according to my good purpose. I spread you abroad. You come out because I have a place for you, is what he's saying. Oh, the steps of a good man. They're ordered by the Lord. The Lord had said he's got a people in every nation and kindred and tribe and tongue, a people that he's gonna call. And that's what he's saying right here. Ho, come forth, come out of the land of the north, saith the Lord. I spread you abroad. It's the four winds of the heaven. I put you where I want you to be. I couldn't help but think about me. When I was going over my notes today, going over these, and I was thinking to myself, how did I get here? You hear? I was born in Alexandria, Louisiana. Raised up in Louisiana. And then by the good providence of God, after a couple more moves here and there and yonder, I ended up in Katy, West Virginia. How in the world could I end up in Katy, West Virginia? According to the scriptures, Come forth, come out of the land of the north, saith the Lord, for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven, saith the Lord. How did I get here? How did you get here? God put us here. And he knit our hearts together. And he made us one in spirit. Put his son in us. And we live and we walk according to the good pleasure of the Lord. Come out. I've spread you. And then he says in verse seven, deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon. That's where we're all born by nature. We're all born, you know, right here. Dwelling with the daughters of Babylon. That's where we are. We're all born dead in trespasses and sins. Deliver thyself. Now, every person that's ever been called out of darkness knows that God has revealed himself to. You know that the exhortation of the prophet Zechariah under the inspiration of God's spirit to tell people to deliver thyself. Now, we know that we've been given a new heart. that shuns all false claims of self-security and self-worth and self-ability. We know that by nature, I know what the world says. Accept the invitation that the Lord has given you. Give yourself, give your heart to Jesus. He wants to save you. I know what they're saying. And you know better than that. We know better than that. But here when the Lord says, Deliver thyself, O Zion that dwelleth with the daughters. You know, flee from the land of the north and deliver yourselves. How? How? One way. By faith. By faith given from above. Faith that didn't originate with us. All men have not faith. It's given unto you to believe. It's given. So whenever the Spirit of God moved upon Zechariah to write down, deliver thyself, you know what a believer says? Lord, deliver me. A believer's not gonna say, Lord, I delivered myself. By faith, by faith, we come out, we flee from the beast, We flee from the bondage of sin because he's made us willing in the day of his power to flee from the bondage of sin. We have nothing in which to glory. We have no confidence in our flesh. All of those that flee and want to flee, flee because the Lord has made them willing in the day of his power. I don't have anything to glory in save Jesus Christ and him crucified. The Lord is saying, deliver thyself, O Zion that dwellest. Lord, I want to come where you are. I want to be where you are. I don't have any confidence in me. And then the Lord, after he's speaking, he's telling the people, He's telling them, you're born in captivity. You're born there. He's telling them, deliver yourself. Ho, ho, verse six. Come forth, flee, come out. He's telling them, you're in bondage spiritually by birth. But he calls his people. He calls them. And why does he call them? Because he's gonna save them. He's gonna save them from their sins. Deliver thyself. Verse seven, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon. Verse eight and nine says for. Or let's just say this, because. Deliver yourself because. There's a reason. For thus saith the Lord of hosts. After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoil you, for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye. For behold, I will shake mine hand upon them, and they shall be a spoil to their servants, and ye shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me. Come, come out. Deliver yourself. You that have been born dwelling with Babylon, the daughter of Babylon, come out. I'm going to show you mercy. I'm going to do you good. Come out. For thus saith the Lord, verse eight, after the glory, after the glory, or following the glory. I have looked at that, those three words, after the glory. For after the glory, following after his glory. Now what glory? You come out from her, you come out. Come out from among them, be separate. After the glory hath he sent me. Here's what the Lord has been saying. Come out of Babylon. I will save you. I will keep you. For thus saith the Lord of hosts. After the glory. As I began to look at that, the Lord has been given a good warning, come out, deliver yourself. Now there's an amazing truth that's being said here. He's going to do what he does because of his glory. He's going to do what he does because he's going to bring glory to himself. So when he says, you come out and deliver yourself, for thus saith the Lord, after the glory, after what glory? After his glory, after the Lord's glory, after the glory hath he sent me. You know, whenever the Lord was talking to Moses, Moses said unto the Lord, show me your glory." Remember what the Lord said. When Moses asked, show me your glory, show me the glory. There is no glory but God's glory concerning eternal salvation. There is no glory but His glory. After the glory, according to the glory, the glory of God, the glory of God's mercy. After the glory, He sent me. unto the nations which spoiled you. For he that toucheth you, toucheth the apple of his eye. Almighty God talking to, turn with me, turn with me to Exodus. We've read this, but I'm gonna read it again. After the glory, I kept, I wonder how many times Glenda heard me say that today. After the glory. There's something there. After the glory, according to the glory. according to the glory, following after his glory. It's just three words that just didn't register with me at first. But now, come out from among them. Separate yourself from Babylon because after my glory, according to my glory, I'm gonna show you mercy. Exodus 33, Exodus chapter 33, starting in verse 18, 19. He said, I beseech thee, show me thy glory. Verse 19, he said, I will make all my goodness I will pass before thee. I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious. I will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. So in Zechariah, here's what's being said. The Lord told him. The Lord had told him. There in verse nine, Paul come forth. Flee from the land of the north, saith the Lord. As the four winds of the heaven, saith the Lord, deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon. For thus saith the Lord of hosts, after his glory, after the glory, after the glory of God, after the glory of God, to show mercy and compassion to whosoever he would. He sent me unto the nations which spoiled you. After His glory sent me the Lord Jesus Christ. That's an amazing, that verse eight right there is another truly amazing passage. I want you to look at verse eight just for a moment. For thus saith the Lord of hosts, Now let me ask you this. Thus saith the Lord of Hosts. Who but God Almighty is the Lord of Hosts? Verse 8. For thus saith the Lord of Hosts. Who is the Lord of Hosts? It's the Lord. It's the Lord God of Heaven. It's the Lord. For thus saith the Lord of Hosts. What did He say? After the glory hath He sent me unto the nations which spoiled you. The Lord of hosts said, after the glory, after the glory of God, to show mercy and compassion to whosoever He would. He sent me. Now who's speaking here? This is still God talking. The Lord of hosts said to me, sent me to the nations that spoiled you. Jehovah sent Jehovah? Yeah, that's what he said. He, the Lord of hosts, after the glory, sent me unto the nations which spoiled you. He that touches you touches the apple of his eye. I began to read these verses, Dave, and the more I read, the deeper they got. Here was the Lord God Himself, the Lord of hosts, after the glory of Almighty God to show mercy and compassion to whosoever He would, He sent me, the scripture says. He sent me unto the nations that spoiled you. After His glory, He sent me, the Lord Jesus Christ said, to spoil them. God is a just God. He's a Savior. Oh, the mercy of Almighty God. to save his people from their sins. The Lord is pleased to rescue. He don't wait on them. He don't wait on them. Turn back to Genesis, Genesis chapter 19, Genesis 19. Come out of her. That's what the Lord told Zechariah to tell him. Come out of her. Come out of Babylon. I'm gonna show you mercy back in Genesis chapter 19, verses 15 to 17. This is how God saves his people. Genesis 19, verse 15. When the morning arose, this is when God was gonna call his people, Lot and his family, out of Sodom. Morning arose, and the angels hasted lot, saying, Rise, take thy wife, thy two daughters, which are here, lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. While he lingered, oh, but for the grace of God, that's what we do, that's what I do, what you do too. While he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters, and the Lord being merciful unto him, unto Lot. And they brought him forth, said him, without the city it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, escape for thy life, look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain, escape to the mountain, lest you be consumed. Oh, the mercy of God. God sent a prophet to Israel. And they had dishonored the Lord. But in mercy and grace, God Almighty called them back to Himself. He called them according to His good pleasure and mercy to not leave them alone in sin and unbelief. Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwelleth with the daughter of Babylon. For thus saith the Lord of hosts, after the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you. For he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye. You know, when the Lord is going to save his people, he does arrest them. And he keeps them. And he teaches them what they are. And they know it and see it. They know that they are what they are. But in closing, I want to just say one thing about whenever the Lord had said, the Lord of hosts, thus saith the Lord of hosts, after the glory hath he sent me, This is the Father and the Son and their God. They are God. One God. A beautiful passage of scripture. Last verse. Turn with me to the book of John chapter 20. John chapter 20, verse 24-29. We speak of the tri-unity of God. And like I said before, nobody understands. Don't even try to explain the tri-unity of God. Just accept it, believe it, rest in it. There's one God. Three persons set forth, there's one God. The scripture says, John chapter 20, verse 24, whenever the Lord had met with his disciples after his resurrection, the scripture says, verse 24, but Thomas, one of the 12, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. And other disciples therefore said unto him, we've seen the Lord. But he said unto them, except I see, except I see in his hands the print of the nails and put my finger into the print of the nails and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. And after eight days again, his disciples were within and Thomas with them. Then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thine finger, and behold my hands, and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side, and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, Now, my Lord and my God, Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed, blest are they that have not seen and yet have believed. Thomas said something to the Lord. He said unto the Lord, my Lord, I looked it up. When he said that, my Lord and my God, it reminded me of what we just looked at back when, back in Zechariah, when the scripture was talking about Jehovah, the Lord of hosts, said unto the Lord Jesus Christ, God speaking to God. Thomas, when he said, my Lord, I looked this up and it says the Messiah, my Lord and my God, the Godhead, father, son, and spirit. Brethren, whenever the Lord is pleased to save his people, I can tell you what he's going to do. He's going to call them. Ho, ho, come forth and flee from the land of the north, saith the Lord, for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heavens, saith the Lord. You come out of her because I have placed you where I want you. Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwelleth with the daughter of Babylon. For thus saith the Lord of Hosts, after the glory hath he sent me. Again, this is God speaking to God. For thus saith the Lord of Hosts, after the glory, after his glory, to show mercy and compassion to whomsoever he will, hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you, He that touches you touches the apple of his eye. For behold, I will shake my hand. It just, when it said shake, it said back and forth, violently. I will shake mine hand upon them, and they shall be spoiled to their servants, and you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me. I pray that God Almighty bless our hearts as we behold the sovereign grace of God to save us, keep us, and teach us, and not leave us to ourselves. His glory and our good.