Encouragement for the Days Ahead

[Editor's Note: The Substance Of A Message Preached By The Rev. Francis W. Dixon At Lansdowne Baptist Church, Bournemouth, England, On Sunday 2 January 1966]

Introduction

"Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out" (Deuteronomy 28:6)

This great word, which comes at the center of the opening part of Deuteronomy chapter 28, seems to sum up all the blessings that God promises to those who hearken diligently to His voice "to observe and to do all His commandments" (verse 1). It is important to notice that the promise of God's blessing requires His people's obedience for its fulfillment. At the end of this section of scripture we are clearly told that these blessings of the Lord will be our portion if we hearken to His commandments and do not go aside from any of His words (verses 13 and 14). This Old Testament promise reminds us of Matthew 6:33 - "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

The promise of our text gives us great encouragement as we face the days that are ahead. These days may be dark days, difficult days, disappointing days, and discouraging days. Is there anything with which we may encourage ourselves as we look into the future? As we face the possibility of sickness, sorrow, trial and testing, are there any grounds for encouragement? Yes, surely there are, for our text promises blessings all along the line, and these blessings are all in the Lord Himself; not in ourselves, but in Himself. Consider some of these.

I. The Assurance of Unfailing Love

We have the Assurance of the Lord's Unfailing Love. This is something very wonderful, and we as children of God should constantly remind ourselves of the fact that God loves us and He always will love us. His word to us is: "I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee" (Jeremiah 31:3). What kind of a love is His love? How long has He loved us? How long will He love us? Will His love ever fail? Will He ever stop loving you?

It is worthwhile in this connection to look at John 13:1. "Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour was come that He should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them unto the end." Answer these questions: How long did the Lord love His disciples, and who were these disciples? Were they worthy of His love? Where it says He loved them "unto the end", this literally means "to the uttermost". The Father loved the prodigal when he was in the far country and not only when he returned home. He loved him all along the line. Some Christians think that God only loves us when we really love Him, but this is not so. Romans 5:8 tells us a staggering truth - "God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." So, as we look out into the unknown future we have the absolute assurance of the Lord's unfailing love - "Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out" - His love will never fail. But consider the second encouragement:-

II. The Guarantee of Sufficient Grace

We have the Guarantee of the Lord's Sufficient Grace. We all have sense enough to know that we cannot possibly continue to live without experiencing trials and testing. There are bound to be sorrows, tears, losses, disappointments and bereavements. Can we feel encouraged as we face this possibility - this probability? Yes, indeed we can, because we not only have the assurance of the Lord's unfailing love but we have the guarantee of His sufficient grace. This great spoken word to the Apostle Paul was not only an illustration but it is an indication of what the Lord is able and willing to be to us, and to do for us, today. Consider this word in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, which reads: "And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And He said unto me, ‘My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong."

The first part of this great statement contains a narrative of the apostle's experience. He was frustrated, disappointed and suffering, and he asked the Lord to remove his "thorn in the flesh". Three times he asked the Lord to do this, and the reply he received from the Lord Himself was this - "My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness." The remaining words consist of Paul's glorious testimony, his acceptance of the Lord's grace, his proving of the sufficiency of that grace, his actual desire that he might be weak in order that the power and strength of Christ might be the more manifest. What a wonderful testimony this is, and it may be yours and mine also, for "God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work" (2 Corinthians 9:8).

Some words that were sent to me recently seem to tie up with this great testimony of the apostle. Here they are:

"I asked for strength that I might achieve;

He made me weak that I might obey.

I asked for health that I might do greater things;

I was given grace that I might do better things.

I asked for riches that I might be happy;

I was given poverty that I might be wise.

I asked for power that I might have the praise of men;

I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God.

I asked for all things that I might enjoy life;

I was given life that I might enjoy all things.

I received nothing that I asked for, all that I hoped for.

My prayer was answered."

"Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out." As we face the days ahead we have the assurance of His unfailing love and the guarantee of His sufficient grace; but we have more than this:-

III. The Pledge of Abundant Provision

We have the Pledge of the Lord's Abundant Provision. Many of God's people are concerned to know how they are going to make ends meet - financially! There is the rising cost of living which faces us all; money has lost its value; there is the problem of bus fares, rents, rates, food, clothing and a hundred-and-one other necessities, quite apart from those luxuries which some of us have been privileged to enjoy for so long. Whichever government we have in the coming days, the situation will not be easy for tens of thousands of the Lord's people, and yet we dare to say that supplies will be adequate, for surely if He is our Shepherd and we are really His sheep we must be able to say, "The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want" (Psalm 23:1); and, if we really are the Lord's people, we should rejoice in the truth that "the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and He delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with His hand ... (Do not stop there!) ... I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread" (Psalm 37:23-25). It would do us good also to listen again to David - "O fear the Lord, ye His saints: for there is no want to them that fear Him. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing" (Psalm 34:9-10).

If you really are discouraged, as you think of the coming days and of the needs that will face you, read again the wonderful record of the way in which the Lord supplied the needs of His servant Elijah.

First, at the Brook Cherith, he had ample to drink even though there was a drought at the time and "the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening"; even though there was a famine on in the world; and when the brook dried up, the Lord blessed His servant and provided for him at Zarephath, and there "the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail according to the word of the Lord" (1 Kings 17:2-16). Beloved Christian, "Take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek): for your Heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:31-33). How true it is for each one of us who loves and belongs to the Lord that "my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ

Jesus" (Philippians 4:19). "Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out." But there is still more to follow:-

IV. The Expectation of the Lord's Return

We have the Expectation of the Lord's Return. We do not know that He will come within the next twelve months, or the next six months or the next three months; He may do so. What we do know is that His coming is near - "the coming of the Lord draweth nigh" (James 5:7). The Bible tells us this, and all the signs of the times declare the fact that the return of the Lord Jesus is imminent. We have only to compare our daily paper with the prophetic scriptures to be assured that Christ's coming cannot be long delayed. What a holy expectation this is for every Christian, for when He comes this will mean, for every sinner saved by grace, four wonderful experiences which can be summed up in four simple words: (i) Rapture; (ii) Resurrection; (iii) Reunion; (iv) Recognition; and when speaking about the glorious truth of our Lord's return, the Apostle Paul was very careful to add this - "wherefore comfort one another with these words" (1 Thessalonians 4:18). What an encouragement it is to us, therefore, as we look out into the unknown days ahead to know that the Lord Himself may come at any moment! "Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out." We would mention one more great encouragement:

V. The Certainty of the Lord's Welcome

We have the Certainty of the Lord's Loving Welcome. Let me say this quietly - some will die this year. We are not being morbid when we say this; if the Lord Jesus comes, of course, we shall go to be with Him without passing through the valley of death, but if He does not come and we are called first of all to go to be with Him, this will mean the experience of dying. Is there any encouragement in this thought? Yes, there is, for death to the Christian is an enemy which has been overcome - "to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21); to be absent from the body is to be "present with the Lord" (2 Corinthians 5:8); and the moment the Lord calls us from this earthly life our spirit will leave our body and at once we shall be with Him (Philippians 1:23). In fact, the Bible tells us that it is a very precious thing to the Lord when one of His children dies! - "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints" (Psalm 116:15). Perhaps you say, "I am a Christian, I am trusting in the Saviour, but I am so unworthy!" Of course you are, but you will receive as royal a welcome as did Paul, Peter, John or any other sinner saved by grace, because your welcome will not be dependent upon your worthiness but upon the worthiness, the merit, the greatness and the grace of your Saviour. So, the moment the  Lord says to you, "Come up higher!" you will go to be with Him, away from all the cares and concerns of earth to "dwell in the house of the Lord for ever" (Psalm 23:6). What an encouragement this is! "Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out."

Surely, the Lord promises us blessing after blessing for every hour, for every minute, for every second and for every moment of all the days ahead, until we see Him face to face!