What I intend to do tonight is a little bit unusual. I want to comment in a little detail on some verses there in Jeremiah 14. But that done, I want to broaden out in my thinking and in my speaking, and I want to speak of the felt presence of God, what it is and what a great blessing it is and benefit to know God's presence. It is heaven upon earth. So let me just read you those words again. from Jeremiah 14. The words I shall be concentrating upon are these in verse 8 and verse 9. O the hope of Israel, the Saviour thereof in time of trouble, why shouldst thou be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man, that turneth aside to tarry for a night? Why shouldst thou be as a man astounded, as a mighty man that cannot save? Yet thou, O Lord, art in the midst of us. We are called by thy name. Leave us not. Now we don't know exactly when these words were spoken by Jeremiah. It is thought by many that it was possibly in the time of Jehoiachin, the son of Josiah and brother of Jehoiachas. He was not a good king as you may recall and the nation seemed to lurch from one judgment to another. And it was right at the end of Jehoiakim's reign that the invasion was just about to take place. He reigned from 609 to 598 BC. And of course the great invasion took place in that last year when Jerusalem fell, the troops invaded, Babylonian troops invaded Judah and Jehoiakim died three months and ten days before Jerusalem fell to the invading hordes. But we cannot be sure. What we do know from reading Jeremiah 14 and these opening words is this, that it was a time when sin had turned to judgment. Man's sin turned to God's judgment. And what the opening words describe is a series of judgments, particularly droughts, which came upon the land. And it was as a result of sin. We can see the connection there in verse 7. O Lord, though our iniquities testify against us, do thou it for thy name's sake, for our backslidings are many, we have sinned against thee. So the mention there of iniquities, literally perversities, And backslidings suggest that things in the land morally and spiritually were poor and they were getting worse. And nothing seemed to halt the descent into misery and into judgment. These iniquities were so obvious that Jeremiah says they testify against us. There's no supporting feature in these iniquities. They are quite inexcusable and they are such as merit the judgment of the Almighty. He pleads that prayer will be answered in spite of those sins for God's name's sake. And if that is the setting, it is very relevant what I've read and we can see just how appropriate Jeremiah's words were, which followed immediately after verse 7. But as I say, I don't think anybody can be absolutely certain exactly when these words were spoken. It was my privilege many years ago now, 53 years ago, to train for the ministry in London and I was for the three years under Dr. John Guthrie that many of you may have heard of. a great scholar internationally known, particularly on his introduction to New Testament books which are still being published. He was a very fine scholar. He also had a very lovely way of conveying the truth. He had an impediment of speech which we all felt for, but it didn't prevent him from sometimes saying something which was quite humorous and witty. And I can remember on one occasion he was dealing with the date of an epistle and he was a very serious man and he could introduce humor without showing it in his face at all. And he said something like this, He said, well, Harnack dates this epistle very early and he gave Harnack's view. I date it later. Now I don't have a scrap of evidence for my view, but neither does Harnack. And he knew it was humorous, but it immediately warmed the students to him. He was a great Christian man, and I'm thankful that I had three years of his teaching. So I cannot be dogmatic, but that may be. quite likely is, perhaps I can say that, the setting for these words. Now you'll find in this chapter and in part of the next that Jerusalem is under judgment and Jeremiah feels deeply for the people and he takes it upon himself to intercede on their behalf, as their representative. And so what we've got here are at least three intercessory passages where Jeremiah lays bares his heart and treats with God for mercy and for relief. There's a petition in verses 7 to 12, there's another in verses 13 to 18, and there's another beginning at verse 19 and continuing into chapter 15 verse 9. When we look at the words which follow, in verses 8 and 9. We are struck here with three things. First of all, a vital truth, and I highlight those words in verse 8, O the hope of Israel, the saviour thereof in time of trouble. For Jeremiah, those were important words, absolutely crucial words. And I believe that they are for us too. Oh, the hope of Israel, the Savior thereof in trouble. Vital truth. That is how the prophet conceives of God. in this awful time when judgments are abroad and sins are exposed. He sees God as the hope of Israel and the Savior thereof. If we just take those titles separately for a moment, You'll see just how precious they are. Oh, the hope of Israel. The Savior thereof in trouble. Well, the nation was in trouble, awful trouble. Misery was on every side. The future looked exceedingly dark. But Jeremiah takes hold of this vital truth. or the hope of Israel and the Saviour thereof in trouble. It is true, is it not brethren, that God is, was then and ever shall be the hope of His people. That is true even if we are unbelieving and if we are unconverted The only one who can deal with a sin-hardened state, the only one who can bring a man out of the shadow of judgment into the light of grace is God Himself. And if sinners would be saved from what they've done and the consequence of it, their hope is in God. And that's why we would direct sinners to God because there's grace with him and mercy and there is saving strength with him no matter what we've done, no matter how greatly we have offended. So that's true for the sinner, but it's true for the believer and it's true for the church. of the Lord our God. God is the hope of Israel. What is hope? Well, a definition of it would be the desired expectation of promised good. And our expectation must hang upon God. and upon God alone. And if we poor sinners are to see any good, it must come through the love of God, love which is stooping down to us, love that is gently lifting our burden. and giving us to know peace with himself. So, he's the hope of the sinner, but he's the hope of the believer, and believers in general, he's the hope of the church. How do we understand that? Well, he is our hope in himself. He is the hope of the church because he is, remember the words he spoke to Moses, I am. And that's a wonderful title that God has there. I am. And just to remember that God is. And it's not that a being is, but God is. And he is looking upon the nation, he's looking upon the peoples, he sees their misdeeds, he remembers his love, and he tenders his word. to them, that's the only hope they have, and the Word points to the only Savior there is. So just the fact that God is a reality, a present reality, that gives us hope. He's not left the field, my friends. He's not turned his back upon us altogether. He's not forgotten the church of our day. He is. Therefore, we can still deal with him. We can still pray to him. He can still fulfill his promises. He can still come in mighty power. He can still revive his church. He is. I'm sure you will have read of Luther's wife. Luther was subject, as you know, to quite severe depression at times and there was an occasion when nothing that Catherine could say could break through to him and he was going about the house with a very sad countenance He said very little to his wife and all the troubles of the Reformation seemed to weigh him down and he was getting very deep into waters of that kind. And Catherine, who was a remarkable woman in many ways, She said to him, as he moved into the room where she was, she said, I'm so dreadfully sorry, Martin. I can't tell you how sorry I am. What about you, sir? Well, that God has died. Woman, God is not dead. He's a flesh. Then why are you so sad, Martin? God is not dead. He is the living God, and he's alive at this moment in history. However awful the condition of the nation is, however tragic the condition of the church is, God lives. And I would inspire your hearts with that. God lives. and there be no reason for discouragement and despair. So long as he lives, and he lives forevermore, therefore hope thou in God, for we shall yet praise him who is the health of our continents and our God. So, the very existence of God is a hope, the hope of Israel. And we think of God also in the nature of His being. What kind of God is it that lives? Well, we are told in Scripture that His nature is greater and stronger than any other being. He is better than any other being. An old catechism began like this, who is the first and best of beings? And the answer was, God is the first and best of beings. And He's the best of beings because He is incomparable. And there is none like Him for compassion. There is none like Him for power and strength. There is none like Him for faithfulness. This also means that He is the hope of Israel. He lives. He's the greatest of all beings, none worthy to be compared to Him. And in His attributes, or His perfections, see what they are from Scripture, what an ornament to hang around, as it were, His neck. There is His love, which is ever surprising because it's pitched upon unworthy objects. His steadfastness and constancy is always the same. The God of the Reformation hasn't changed one whit. He is still our God. And therefore, we can see hope in that, that his attributes have not changed. And you say, but the situation is as never before. I doubt that, but we won't argue that. I'm not in any way minimizing the gravity of the nation's moral and spiritual condition. But there have been times in the past, dear brethren, when things have been without glimmer of hope and almost nightfall has fallen upon the church of that day. And God in his power did what was almost unimaginable. He did what we had prayed for for so long and longed for. He intervened and He changed the nation by powerful reformation, by powerful revival. And we know, therefore, that this God is the hope of Israel. Another thing I will bring to mind here and to your consideration is the covenant which he has made. He has made a covenant with his people which David says is all my salvation and all my desire. Everything that the church needs he has thought of before, and he has determined in his sovereign will that he will meet that need at various points in history. And it's written down, and all things are ordered, and all things are sure, that he will honor his son, that he will extend his kingdom, that he will save his redeemed, and he will keep his redeemed, and he will maintain the community of faithful people as his church until the last day, and then glorify the same in heaven. The covenant reads thus, I will not turn away from them to do them good. Now ministers can make that their pillow when they're troubled. I will not turn away from them to do them good. And when you're ready to resign and give up Let that come back to you. God says, I will not turn away from them to do them good. And therefore, hope in him. You can, you may, and you must, because there is no other who can inspire such hope as God himself. Consider his relations to us. how he's set forth in the Word of God. He is our heavenly bridegroom. He is the one who is our potter. He is the one who is our shepherd, leading us through damns of difficulty. and leading us into better terrain. He is all of these things to us. And this God, because he is so described and given various names and titles, considering his relations to us, he cannot fail us and he will not fail us. Consider also his His Word, we read, is forever settled in heaven. In this Word, we are promised seasons of refreshing from the presence of the Lord. There is mention made of the reformation of the church, the revival of the souls of His people, These things we read in the promises which are exceeding great and to us very precious. And when the shadows lengthen and it looks as if the day is over and the prophets of doom come out, the secular prophets of doom, it's all over with the church. No, my friends, they forget the one who is ever the hope of Israel, God Himself. And there is everything about God which inspires our hope. He is our hope. He is the object of our hope. To whom can we look? in a day like this. All Scripture, all history and all his people say, to God, to God. We have found in personal experience that at times when we have almost been covered by doubt and sadness, God has proven worthy of trusting. And upon Him we have hung our expectations, and they are not ill-placed there. And he that believeth has never come to confusion. The hope of Israel, the very mention of God inspires us, uplifts us, gives us backbone, makes us courageous, and gives us strength to go on God is our refuge and our strength. So, in Jeremiah's day, God was the hope of Israel in our day. Even if you prove to me that it's a worse day than that day, He is the hope of His people still. And to Him we look. and there is hope in him, whatever our condition, and there is hope in him, whatever our situation. Hope thou in God. And if it be said, well, these times are unprecedented, These times are so full of unbelief and wickedness. These times are the times of blasphemy and contempt for God, often verbally expressed or in written form. These times are fearful. what is going to happen next? How will it fare with the church in the time to come? Whatever you say, however dark you paint the picture, I will still be there to say to you, he is the hope of Israel. And that lifts the heart. It strengthens the heart. It enlivens the heart. It comforts the heart. It confirms the heart. He will not fail thee. That's what the Scripture says. He will not fail thee. Why? Because he's God. And because he will ever be. the hope of Israel. So if we pray and pray for recovery and pray for a quickening of the church and pray for godliness to rise in our generation, it's not too much to pray for. thou art coming to a king, large petitions with thee bring." The hope of Israel. And then secondly, the Savior thereof. He can save the church. even in our day. The Bible says he can show himself strong on behalf of his people. He can deliver us from unbelief. He can break the hold that worldliness has upon the church. he can deal in one stroke with the entertainment that goes for worship in these days. God can recover Zion and he's got more strength to do it than you and I credit him with, for he's able to do over and above what we ask and above what we think. What happened in the 1740s was not just one revival, but it was one after another, after another, and God did it. what happened in the 19th century, 1859 and following was not just one revival breaking out in one place, but revival breaking out here and there and it seemed everywhere. The illimitable God. Truly in this as in other things I hath not seen nor the things that God has prepared for them that love Him. Brethren, we need to take hold of this. There's more to come, much more to come. I believe that the promises travel with blessing for Israel. for the whole world, life from the dead. And therefore, we look for what has been called aptly latter-day glory. And I believe that with all my heart. Is it too much for God? No, no. not if God is the God to whom I've been referring. It is with comparative ease that he can rectify the abuses in the church. It is without the exertion of all his strength that he can recover the fortunes of Zion. And in just a short while, suddenly and mightily, he can turn events in a way that produces praise from one end of heaven to the other and one end of earth to the other. He can do it. He can do it. He's known as the Deliverer. His eyes run to and fro in the earth to show Himself strong on behalf of His people. And we have assurances so often in the Psalms, call upon me in the day of trouble and I will deliver thee. This is a day of trouble. We see what the enemy has done. He has introduced unbelief. He has tried to change the church under the specious claims of modernizing individuals, but he has actually destroyed the church. Is he greater than God? Can he destroy with greater ease than God can restore? No. I quote Luther in a better frame of mind, he may be the devil, but he's God's devil. And every force of evil is under Satan, is under God's command. He can go so far like the waves of the sea, but no further. And our God is the God who can turn back the tide and change the course of the sea. The Savior thereof in time of trouble. And this can happen quite suddenly, gloriously. Suddenly there came from heaven the sound of a mighty rushing wind and the house was filled where they were seated, filled with God, filled with the presence of God, who had come to deliver. The Savior thereof, the deliverer thereof, in time of trouble. It's a vital truth. Now secondly what follows is a missing experience. Here it is. Why shouldst thou be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night? Why shouldst thou be as a man astonished, as a mighty man that cannot save? This is Jeremiah viewing things as the people of his day viewed things. And it looked as Jeremiah saw the state of the nation and the church. It looked as if God was a stranger and a wayfaring man. It looked as if he was like a man astonished, a mighty man that cannot save. Two things it looked like. One, that God was unwilling to act. Mark those words as a stranger in the land, a wayfaring man. that turneth aside to tarry for a night." That's how it appeared to be. That God was showing little interest in the affairs of his church. If he gave any attention to it at all, or if he granted some visitation, then it was only very occasional and just short visits. A stranger in the land. Believers could look out and say, well, honestly, How long is it since this country has known revival? Is it not true that he's a stranger in the land? He doesn't appear to take on the situation as we see it. He doesn't evidence any concern as of a man who's in the situation himself. Why there's so little of him felt and known. We may get some awareness that God is working. Somebody is remarkably converted. perhaps a family is brought savingly into the church. But we know it's just a family here, a family there, at the best. And for many, he is the stranger and the wayfaring man. The stranger is someone who isn't known by his presence. The wayfaring man is someone who's not there when they're really needed. He only pays odd visits and he moves on. And it's as if he gives us his blessing one Lord's Day morning, he's gone again. It was temporary, the shortest of visits, like a traveler. And the conclusion is God is unwilling to act. It's a stranger who decides not to come. It's the traveler who decides not to visit. as he made a decision not to come and help us, not to come and raise the church in glory. Is that it? He seems unwilling to act. But read on, as a man astonished, as a mighty man that cannot save, the problem is not only that we might conclude that he is unwilling to act, a stranger and a wayfaring man, but he's unable to act. As a man astonished, as a mighty man that cannot save, it sometimes appears to reason, that God is overwhelmed with the magnitude of the problem. I speak it reverently and that's not true, but it's as if God has no idea what to do. He's nonplussed. he's been taken by surprise, the situation is far worse than he had fought, and therefore he's like a man faced with a problem he cannot solve. As a man, astonished. Now if we don't say that, and I hope we never do, but we sometimes find ourselves thinking that. And you hear even respected believers saying, it's gone too far. The deterioration is almost complete. The church is beyond help. A man of stonehead can't do anymore. A mighty man that cannot save. When we say that, or even think that, we are really saying that He has no will to help us. He has no ability to help us. And those are falsehoods. of the greatest kind. He has the will and he has the strength because I speak of Almighty God. And therefore, he can grant his presence in this hour of critical need. He can come to us even though we're looking not for Him. He can grant the Spirit of life. He can give a baptism of the Spirit in proportions which have never been seen before. He can appear for us like light out of thick darkness. like the dawn after the dreadful midnight. And therefore, Jeremiah, his hope is in God, and he says God is not unwilling to act. He's not unable to act. He's the hope. He's the Savior. And thirdly, what follows here is a powerful intercession on Jeremiah's part. He concludes like this, thou, O Lord, art in the midst of us, and we are called by thy name. Leave us not. And that appears strange, first of all. God is in the midst of us. Is that what people believe? Though there may be a formal belief that God is present in the congregations of his people. I'm reminded of Wesley's words, present we know thou art. but all thyself reveal." That's what we want, isn't it? And that's what we need. Not merely the doctrinal statement, God is in the midst of us. That's what the Bible says. But we want more than that. And that's what Jeremiah is making the burden of his intercession. powerful intercession, Lord thou art in the midst of us. We believe that. Now don't leave us. We plead with thee not to take a journey away from us. Don't leave unfinished the work of reformation and revival. That's the burden of this intercession. O Lord, thou art in the midst of us. We are called by thy name. It's a reminder that thou art our God. We are thy people. You can't do that, we say in reverence. You cannot walk away from the situation we describe for the nation in all its depravity and in all its unbelief. You can't do that because we are the people of God, chosen, redeemed, and effectually called by thy name. And therefore, faith can wax bolder and bolder and say, Lord, you can't deny us. you must show yourself mighty to save. And that is what the need of the hour is, isn't it? For powerful intercession based upon verity, based upon truth. But turning again to the throne of God and faith laying hold upon a sovereign God, and constraining him not to forget us, not to forsake us, leave us not, stay and work, stay and quicken, stay and rebuild the church of Jesus Christ. Powerful. intercession. What are we praying for? The presence, the felt presence, the known presence, the manifested presence of God. Have we forgotten what we're praying for? in 1859, Wales as well as other parts in the United Kingdom experienced a visitation from God. There were some remarkable experiences in preaching services there in Wales. J. J. Morgan wrote a description of one such meeting, when a young man with uplifted arms and with moving words pleaded, May the heavenly dove descend now upon this meadow. Having prayed thus, from his heart affecting the vast congregation. He spent a while in silent prayer as thousands bowed their heads and felt, and felt the reality of that moment. And after the intense silence, all that multitude felt that God had come. One man began to pray, another here, another there, and the whole company praying that Wales might know a baptism of revival. Time passed, One of that vast company, Thomas Jones, walked in a field nearby. A friend spotted him, went across the field to him and said, What a sight was that! Thousands engaged in silent prayer. and the powers of God's presence gathering in our very midst. What a sight was that! Did you ever see anything like it, Mr. John?" Thomas John answered solemnly, I didn't see one of them. I saw no one but God. I am now going home. How terrible is this place. This is none other than the house of God. This is the gate of heaven. And so he removed himself from that place because He said, my flesh is too weak to bear this. The papers of that day described what happened, a pervading and overwhelming solemnity continuing in that great assembly. God had come and visited his people. That is what we need, my friends, and that is what it is within the prerogative of God to bestow. And even though the nation in its sin and in its error is opposing God at every less able to overcome that in His grace and mercy and bring it in spite of them than for the sake of His beloved Son. The presence of God. I'm aware the time is going. I'll be as brief as I can be now and take no liberty here with time. But we must distinguish immediately between what we call the general presence of God and this special presence of God. The general presence of God is another way of describing his omnipresence. He is everywhere. He is everywhere in his essence. Heaven of heavens can't contain him. The house that Solomon built can't contain him. The earth cannot contain him. He is everywhere present in his essence, in his authority and power. He is sustaining everything, everywhere And he, by the efficacy of his provenance, he's governing this world after the counsel of his own will. We doubt not the general presence of God, but there is something else, the special presence of God, which is known in the church. When the church is called the temple of the Holy Ghost, The place where God can reside and manifest Himself and make Himself to become not a matter of theology, but a matter of experience. The special presence of God. You no doubt know, secondly, that in the Scriptures, although the truth of His omnipresence is asserted, that there is no place where God is not. Theologians will speak of the fact that God is in heaven in His glory. He is in hell in his wrath. He is in Zion in his grace and mercy. The special presence of God. Now, Scripture speaks of God sometimes going and departing And it speaks of God returning and remaining. This is according to experience. That's what it seems to be like. The pitch of evil grows so great that it seems that God has turned away from us. as if we're lamenting after a God who is finished with us. I thank God in heaven that that is not true. The Bible speaks just as powerfully of God returning God coming back to his people. God showing himself in the church again. Again, it's according to experience. But there are times when it seems as if God's never been with us at all because he's come back with such reality and bringing such joy. We think this is God with us. It may be that it looks as if he's turned away, but faith says that he will turn back ere long. It's not just a matter of experience. I think when God comes again to his church, it is supernatural. it is God visiting us and impressing the fact that he's here and that he's among us and that he's doing a work which is unprecedented in our generation. We might well say we've never seen the like. Up to now it appears that God has been absent this, is God showing that he's present. And there are times when God gives himself unreservedly to his people, and he comes in a mighty way to us. And we don't have to discuss it. We know that he is here. and that He's blessing us. It may come indeed by some degrees. Scripture speaks of His presence being like the light that shined off more and more. It speaks of His presence like the river that flows deeper and deeper. like the morning which shines brighter and brighter. God can give us an inkling of it. We lay hold of Him by faith and plead with Him to show us more. And God may be pleased to grant us more. And there's more experience and there's more power in the preaching. There's more power in the way we sing our psalms. There is more power as the minister leads in prayer, more power as the congregation follow his words in their hearts, more power as they sense that faith is almost turned to sight, that God is here, and that to bless us. If it doesn't happen, all is dying and hopeless. But that's not the way it's going to be, because God has told us that he is committed to his people, that he is a faithful God, that he will not leave us nor forsake us. He will not forget us. A mother may forget her sucking child, yet will I not forget thee. So don't entertain it for one moment in your mind. Dear Brethren, God reigns. And I say it with profound respect. He has surprises for us when we intercede in earnestness and pray for God. to clear the way for His blessing. When our prayer meetings are no longer just often the same kind of bland utterance, but when we renounce and when we've got a passion in our prayers, and when we begin to plead with God as if the blessing was within reach, and a little more power and a little more strength and we can take it from the hand of God. I speak after the manner of men. But we need that earnestness in prayer. The preacher needs it in preaching so that he doesn't just deliver something which is like a formal address which has no life in it. but he will preach in demonstration of the spirit. What does that mean? It means that as he's preaching, it will be concluded by all who hear him with any discernment. This isn't the demonstration of a good preacher. This is the demonstration of a great God in demonstration of the spirit. That's what we need. for God to come upon his servants and empower them, so that they are out of themselves, almost beside themselves, and they preach as they have never preached before, and the congregation hears as they have never heard before. God in the midst of us. we need him, brethren, so much we need him. And he is our hope, the hope of Israel and the Savior thereof. We've fallen far we may be wallowing in the mire, it may seem as if hope has been extinguished, but God can come again. And I believe all Scripture says He will come again. And I put my seal to what was mentioned this morning. Israel shall yet be gathered again. and grafted into the olive tree. Israel shall be saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation, that day we may live to see. And when the world takes account of what is happening to the Jews and why it is happening to the Jews, because God is working his sovereign purpose out and filling up the role of his elect, and introducing into the church Jew and Gentile brethren together to make the church glorious at the end, a glorious bride for the returning bridegroom. O hope of Israel, the Saviour thereof. Why shouldst thou be as a stranger in the land and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night? Why shouldst thou be as a man astonished, as a mighty man that cannot save? Yet thou, Lord, art in the midst of us. There is evidence enough of that, that God is still with us, that God is still at work, that He's still saving souls, He's still among His people. What we pray for now is because we are called by His name. He won't leave us with just a little sense of His presence, but He will send us an overwhelming wave of His presence. and we shall know the very truth. God is in the midst of us. We shall not be moved." I've gone over time and they may never ask me again, not even at the last moment. But friends, this is a subject that thrills our hearts. and we won't be more thrilled with the power and grace of this God until we see Him in glory. This is the foretaste of it. This is the first fruit. I thank God for anything that we see. that shows us that faith is turning to sight. We want more. We say with God, whatever you have done in our generation, don't leave it there, and don't leave us here. Leave us not. to the glory of God. Amen and Amen.