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His Eye Is upon His Elect (Message preached by Rev Dr Jeffrey Khoo at True Life BPC on April 20, 2008)
Text
“Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine” (Ps 33:18-19).
Trouble Today
On Monday, April 14, 2008, The Straits Times headlines read, “Rising food prices could result in ‘mass starvation’.” Oil prices are on a record high, and the price of rice has doubled. Is it possible that the world is heading towards a global famine, a worldwide recession or even depression? Jesus said in Matthew 24:7-8, “For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” The world today is increasingly plagued by natural disasters, famines, pestilences (diseases), and earthquakes, and this will lead to poverty and trouble in life. This world is a bad news world, and we can only expect things to get worse, not better.
The Eye of the Lord
As Christians, what should be our response to all these things that are happening in the world? Are we worried, frightened, or disheartened? We should not be. We are not overwhelmed by all these bad news, but overcome them with the good news of Jesus Christ. The Lord promises to watch over and take care of those who fear Him, “Behold the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; to deliver their soul from death and to keep them alive in famine” (Ps 33:18-19). What comforting words!
The Fear of God
So, with the eye of the living and true God upon us, what should we do to triumph over bad news and bad times? The psalmist tells us what we ought to be and how we ought to behave in times of trouble and famine. The key lesson here is the fear of the Lord. What is the fear of the Lord? The fear of the Lord is this holy terror we must have for the thrice holy God, that will cause us to worship Him, and to believe in Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. This kind of fear was displayed by the prophet Isaiah when he saw the Lord God Almighty, “In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts” (Isa 6:1-5).
Such a fear of God is good because it leads to salvation and service, “Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me” (Isa 6:6-7). The fear of the Lord makes us to be born again, to be a child and a servant of God. That is why it is so good to fear the Lord for it gives us knowledge and wisdom (Prov 1:7, 9:10)—knowledge of who and what God truly is and who and what we truly are—and how to get right with Him, and once we are in God’s good Book—our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, then we have nothing to fear about what man may do to us because our God is our Protector and Provider. That is why the Psalmist here in verse 12 says, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.” When the living and true God is our God, and He has chosen us to belong to Him, then Romans 8:28 will come true, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” So the world may be facing a war, a recession, a depression, a famine etc, and people may become worried and scared, but we remain unmoved and untouched. The fear of the Lord makes us to have 100% confidence in God. How do fearers of God behave in times of trouble and distress?
Characteristics of God-Fearers
Fearers of God are characterised by joy. They rejoice in the power of God who created heaven and earth (Ps 33:1-3). In times of trouble and hardships, the Christian who fears His God does not grumble or complain or blame Him for anything. As far as he is concerned, his God can do no wrong, and his Saviour will always care for him no matter what. So he rejoices in the Lord, and praises Him and sing to Him a new song because he keeps on experiencing new mercies and blessings from the Lord day by day, every day (Ps 33:1-3). Such happiness is not based on wishful thinking, but on the solid foundation of God’s promises.
Fearers of God are characterised by faith. They trust in the promises of God’s inspired and preserved, infallible and inerrant Word (Ps 33:4-11). We have every reason to trust in the power of God’s Word. God created the whole universe out of nothing simply by the power of His Word. “For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast” (v9). In other words, all things are possible with God. Just one word from Him and things get done. The God who created this world is still in control of it. Nothing happens in this world by chance. He has given many prophecies in the Holy Scriptures, and all these must come to pass. Not only was His creative word powerful, His prophetic word is just as powerful. One good example is the nation of Israel. Has not God preserved Israel as He promised? Romans 11:26 tells us that all Israel shall be saved. This will happen when Christ returns. As the Lord says, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance” (Ps 33:12). The prophecies and promises of God have been fulfilled and will be fulfilled. Just wait and see.
Defeat of God-Deniers
Evil and wicked men may scheme against God’s people and seek to thwart God’s plans, but they will never succeed. God’s children need not be afraid of them for “The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect” (v10). God never fails and neither can His words fail for they are forever infallible and inerrant. Verse 11 says, “The counsel of the LORD standeth forever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.” The Lord preserves His words, doctrines, testimonies, statutes, commandments, and promises so that every generation can know them and live by them (Matt 4:4). Those who reject the doctrine of the 100% preservation of the Scriptures reject the doctrine to their own hurt. Why? Because once a person refuses to believe in God’s Word 100%, he can only trust in himself or in others. We who believe in the 100% preservation of the Holy Scriptures quote the words of God to prove our faith or doctrine, but those who reject it quote the words of men or the “scholars” or “textual critics” so called. They think that might is right, or majority is right, or human intelligence or reasoning is right, but God warns, “… a mighty man is not delivered by much strength. An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength” (Ps 33:16-17). Remember David and Goliath! One small stone fell the mighty Goliath; one Bible verse is enough to overthrow Satan. One word from God’s mouth will destroy the armies of the Antichrist.
Plan G
When faced with the wicked strategies of men, how should the righteous respond? Should we not also scheme to counter evil? Should we not have a plan? Some people say, “If we fail to plan, we plan to fail.” So we ought to have a series of plans—Plan A, B, C, D …. But when we plan without God, we may fall into the trap of fighting evil with evil. The best plan is Plan G. “G” stands for God: Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Why? Because “the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy” (Ps 33:18).
Does this mean we do nothing? In times of trouble and distress, what is our duty? Psalm 33:20-22 say, “Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name. Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.” Let me say this: Waiting is harder than working. We are often impatient; we want God to act immediately or instantaneously. But God waits, and enjoins us to wait also. Why? There are three reasons: (1) God “is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet 3:9), (2) God often allows evil to reach its height so that His glory might be manifested when He finally rescues His people (John 11:4, 40), and (3) God wants to test or prove our faith in Him. The Apostle Peter wrote, “Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls” (1 Pet 1:6-9).
So let us keep believing in the Lord for His good eye is upon His chosen ones who hope and trust in Him.
Verse for the Week:
Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones. Prov 16:24
*****
Church Camp 2008 (June 9-13) at Bintan Agro Beach Resort, Tanjung Pinang. All Campers please assemble tomorrow morning at FEBC, 9A Gilstead Road at 8am if you are taking the coach transfer. Coach will leave at 8.15am sharp. If you are going directly to the Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal, please be there by 8.55am sharp.
In view of Bible Camp, there will be no Prayer Meeting and Young People’s Fellowship Meeting this week.
Combined Youth Conference 2008 will be held from June 19-21, 2008 at Calvary Pandan BPC. Theme: “The Lord tarries: My licence to relax?” Speakers: Rev Dr Jeffrey Khoo, Rev Dr Quek Suan Yew & Rev Dr Prabhudas Koshy. Contact Andrew Kan at 91598914 for details.
Adults’ Sunday School Class is now studying 2 Samuel under Rev Stephen Khoo, 9.15am – 10.15am. All are welcome. Lessons are downloadable from www.febc.edu.sg/Sunday School.htm.
True Life B-P Church’s sermons are taped and available for sale in DVD ($5) or Audio CD ($3). You may place your orders with Dn Charles Kan, Barnabas Yap or any of the PA crew.
Pray for Pastor Tow’s good health and strength.
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