Geronomy chapter thirty-two. And verse nine. For the Lord's portion is his people. Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. He found him in a desert place or land and in a great howling wilderness. That's the first thing God found him. He led him about, that's the second verse. He instructed him, that's the third verse. He kept him as the apple of his pie, that's the fourth verse. As an eagle, and here is the fifth, and as an eagle stirreth up her net, fluttering all her young, stirreth a broad ring, shakeeth them, faireth them up on her wing. So the Lord alone did leave him, that's the sixth thing. And there was no strange God with him. And now the seventh is wonderful for this. He made him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the field. And he made him the soft honey out of the rock, on oil as to the flinty rock. butter of pine and milk shall speak the son of the lamb, the lamb of the brevetation, and goat with the fat of kidneys or teeth, and thou didst drink the purest blunts of the great. The more or less Middle East and back in those days that language meant a whole lot. They would enter into all the full meaning of what the thirteen and fourteen were an abundant origin. A very graphic language to describe one who is well off, to have everything all at the heart of this. For the morning I want to speak upon Jacob wandering. Now, Jacob is referred to as an individual and also as an atheist. He does not represent the nature. Here you find him wandering without a strict thought. He's found wandering in... the wilderness, or in a desert place, in a weak, howling wilderness, or a desert. In other words, such as an Oriental expression, it speaks of a place that's infested with wild beasts. A desert place where there's a lot of danger, where things are desperate, where there is no place of shelter, no place of safety. Where the heap for a lamb has no possible chance of survival. Those of you who know your Bibles, and you remember over in Leviticus sixteen, on that great day of the Soma, relative to the nation of Israel, two goats were blocked, and the one was slain. And that took care of their sins as far as payment was concerned. The priest of that day he laid his heads upon this one goat that it was slain, and then he had another goat. And he placed his hands on the head of that goat and confessed on it all the sins of the nation of Israel. And then a fit man, the Bible says, took all of it, and he took that living goat and took it out into a land on its hamlet, a land of wild beasts, a weak, howling wilderness. The poor little goat had no chance. No chance at all. Nowhere to go. Unable to compete with the wild beasts and the animals that roam to devour the smaller. And that's a little picture of what God gives us here of Jacob. God found them in such a place. A weak, howling villain. Poor Jacob was looking for safety. He was looking for shelter. He was looking for satisfaction. but he didn't find it. How crude it is. God is giving us a little picture of the world, and if you don't think this is a cruel world, you're just on up to date, and your education are in for me. What chance would a little godly girl boy stand for survival in many parts of this year? When I came south many years ago, you leave your doors unlocked, you go walking any time of the night in the state, up in North Carolina. Not now. You think of the danger, the peril, but walking out of sleep, women are not safe, children are not safe. Is this not a waste-hulling wilderness? Young people are young people who have a desire to live for God, who want to live deeply. They hardly ever tend. But that's what God does. Awake howling dreams. Looking for safety. Looking for shelter. Looking for protection. Most of all looking for something to satisfy. The world is full of people looking for something to satisfy. Somebody to be a shelter. A haven, a place where they can be secure. There's only one place. And here God finds it in this place, and in this condition. In other words, Jacob was looking for such a place. God was looking for such a person. God found him. He read that. I'm saying God is looking for men and women, boys and girls today. That's why we empathize our country through to try and get the gospel to them. While they're young and in trendy years and their heart is tossed, they'll open their hearts to the gospel and they need it. Parents today can't go too far with their children. The government will take over. And it won't be long until the government will just about raise your children. In other words, children need to get the word of God in their heart while they're young. And the Lord is looking for them. He has come to speak and to say that which is lost. God was looking and God found this. Wasn't that wonderful? God found it. And God would love to find you this morning. And you'll notice in verse ten he found them and then the second thing he led In that word, in the word there means he encompassed him. God found him and then he encompassed him. He protected him. It makes you think of Job. Back in the days of Job, God sent to the devil, and he considered my servant Job. There's none like him in all the earth or such as an upright man. Yeah, the devil says, Oh, wonder, Job is so prosperous. You put a hedge around him and a hedge around his household and a hedge around all that he has. You've got him hemmed in. Just take down those fences and let me out. The gentleman was wonderful when God saved people. He put the hedge around him. He's so thankful. God helped us that he didn't. If the Lord didn't protect his people, there'd be an advantage. I can see time and time again in my life where I was protected. But there were many times that I didn't see the danger as God thought. And how God loves to protect you there. And so here he encrusted Jacob. He protected. And it's wonderful to have God protected. Another thing, he instructed him. Yes, he gave Jacob instruction. and does the same to those he finds, finds them, saves them, protects them, and he instructs them. He's given us his word, the Bible, the whole Bible, to instruct us and his Holy Spirit within us. What a teacher he is. He's the instructor. And God gives us teaching men who can teach the Bible. This is the way God takes those who find. And he kept him, look at night in verse four, he kept him of the apple of his eye. God said to him, you're so senseless to me, that he that touches you, touches the apple of my eye, these are over the cross. If you do something to God's people, especially a little one, if like putting your fingers in God's eye, Remember what God reminded Saul. Saul, why persecute the psalmist? How was Paul persecuting the Lord Jesus? He was persecuting God's people. A friend that you persecute at the time of God. God is very sensitive about what you do to the members of the body of Christ. And so it says here, he shepherds the diapal of Jinnah. And then he is the angelic. In that lovely language he reads in verse five, he talks about the eagle, or verse eleven. And as an eagle sprang at us from a nest, plucketh all her young, spreadeth her broad her wings, taketh them, bear them up on her wings. So the Lord alone did leave him. In other words, God encouraged Jacob. Make of entry, Jacob. I know we haven't all the strength in the eagle, but I'll give you strength. It's just like the eagle. Here the eagle had its nest way up on the rock. And there are some little eagles. And they look down into that orc and a ditch that looks like they wouldn't venture to jump off. Finally they get with feathers into the wings. And the time comes when Mother Eagle thinks they've got enough opinions now to make the venture. The little English are not going to do it. They'll say, what would they do? Blunders to their death. But the Mother Eagle has a way to stir it up their nest, breaks up the nest, and she pushes one off. And a cool little thing, it knows they've got to do something. It has that incentive. And it tries to use its wings. And out it goes. It's using its rings. It may not be going straight. It's going down all the time. But right when the mother angel knows a strong part enough down, and there's danger, she swoops down. And she dips them on her back and takes them back up again. She's teaching them how to thrive. How she is, how she encourages them. So finally we can take off on the road. That's how God does the people. He wants us with such responsibility. How often do we cry? And sometimes when we hesitate, God pushes us into responsibility. Remember when I was first saved, we go out, a bunch of the men in the churches, we go on a Friday night and preach in the open air. He wanted the young child to get out and try the wind. Sometimes they say, here, I'll hold the hat together. And we get out and tell how God came. How wonderful God knows just what strength he's not. He knows exactly what we can do. He don't do so well on earth. He knows our frame. He remembers the root of God. He knows how far we can go. And then she takes care. She gives us the strength. She even knows what she wants. Yes, she knows how much she can take in a way of suffering. She knows how much she can take in a way of pain and responsibility. She may come to all that. In the doing that she gives us. And another thing you'll notice here, not only did he encourage them, he led him now, that's not exactly the same word as we read first. Here you have leadership. Now he's leading him. How he is going before us. God went before Jacob, and he lived all the way. With all I may acknowledge him, and he will direct thy path. As many as are led by the Spirit of the Lord, they are the children of God, God going before. Then you come to this seven days, see for by this one. What a rich abundant provision in verses thirteen and fourteen, amen. What a lucid thread is brought before us here. How God blessed this year. He brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey. All the things and upon them. And after we're saved, think of what we have in Christ, fully abundant, peace and joy and happiness, satisfaction in Christ. I was kind of amused the other day about Richard Scott in the Philadelphia series, Boa. He said this when I sifted out, I never wanted anything more in life but here. I thought, Buddha, that's all he wanted in life. There's tea on the world after it. The time will come and all that tea will be in their grave. And if that's all he wants, that's all he wants is. To use that language, all he wants is this in life. Something that means he's going somewhere where there'll be no life. No peace, no happiness. It's wonderful to have a place of honor and popularity. Yes. But then there's something more in life's kingdom. Something more than possession. Something more than a place of popularity and of freedom to be a hero. Ah, yes, in some prayers. And Bobby Anderson, who used to say to the New York Yankees, I met him, I took hand to him. I heard him give a story after New Jersey. It was wonderful being on the anti-Seming in the World Series two or three times, being the most valuable player of Christ. But I'll tell you, if you sing his name, Bobby Rickettsie, his name, thing of life was, he lived Christ. And he was, I believe, I'm glad we're here now, but they're not too long ago. Speaking of what he had in Christ, that's the name thing in life. If you miss that, you'll miss everything. Give this heaven. All the abundance we have in our world Jesus Christ when we live. I tell him, in the face of my life, that I must all trust. The way I was paid, I was trying to be satisfied with this life. Oh, I thank God I found him asleep. When I found him, I was happy then. I was satisfied then. I had something for me. All these things that Jacob had back then made a perfect eventually. The fruits and things of this life are the things that Jacob has are eternal. Eternal riches in the Lord Jesus. He provided them. But you know, in the face of God finding Jacob wandering, if you were to turn over the numbers, twenty-one you'd find Jacob journeying. Isn't it between a wanderer and a man and a girl? Jacob was one, they're here and there and y'all. But over in Numbers twenty-one, he's journeying. And where's he going in twenty-one eleven? Towards the sunrise. You know, she's done that one, she's done. She's done an object. She's done a purpose in life now. She's journeying toward the sunrise. And Jesus Christ is coming. The Son of righteousness shall appear, but healing in his wings. Yes? There's a traveler now. He's going to war and derives his trust. He's got a purpose in that. I know not where my path may wind. I know one day. I know where it's going to end. In other words, life now has a meaning. I don't know where. I don't know. He's high enough. I'm safe. I'd like to live in hell right now. Had I not found tight, then I had a purpose, an aim, an object in life. How wonderful is that twenty-third sound, a hawk and bingling, read it, loved by everyone. You have in that verse one, a sound punch he sees, the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not watch. There's the purpose. Verse two, he naked me to lie down and be raptured. There's the truth. Verse three, he restores my soul. He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness, for it nameseth. There is the pathway. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will be enabled, for thou art with me thy rod and thy staff, a company, there is the terror. Thou preparest the table before me in the presence of my enemy. Thou anointest my head with oil, and my supper on the way there. There is a certain reason. But now the cross says, Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days in my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. That beautiful song begins with the Lord, and it ends with the Lord. The Lord is my shepherd, the house of the Lord forever. In the field. is the journey. What a journey. I need to do all these various stages in our journey. We have the person, we have time, then we have probation, then we have the pastor, then we experience the perils in life, and then we have the tribulation for our fellowship, and then the cross, the heart, and the Lord thereof. The fishing starts out. He's going to go through that valley. He's going to go on the mountain. He's going to get to those bypasses, those deep rivers. He's not going to be a very pleasant. Sometimes the sun is shining. Sometimes a cloud can go. Sometimes everything is well. Everybody seems in good health and spirit. And then the blind is gone. Someone passed away. if that is the death that on the old man. Yes, I know not where in my past may be, where in any one, and I know yet it's going to end, the heart of the Lord's earth, just the most precious thing in life. There are people living today with jibner wealth if they just came up. They say, noon, I know where I'm going to be in the church. I know when I dream, my last, I'll be present with the Lord. This is a man on a journey to those ears. There is glory that gave me that. Far as it lies to you. How can that word pound me? God pound me. Then he dropped the finger at it. How heaven rejoices. But the very mention of that was firm. Ah, yes, he thinks of heaven bursting forth in praise, rejoicing echoes down the corridors of heaven. Why? Luke this day, the shepherds pound the sheep. The woman pound the silver. The father found the prodigal son. And three times over, in that lovely, lovely chapter that this piece of me, God says, I have found. I have found, I have found. And three times over, joy, joy, joy. Yes, what is good when God has found a new place? And you see how wonderful that word found is. I have found. I am pounding the beauty of what God says I pound with it. But you know we mentioned in our lab in the scriptures why these words were humble in my mind as I was just written in the paper, I pound my note, I pound. And those are those words I mentioned about the end, the conclusion of a costly trade. I thought for Amelia Earhart, most of many years, years ago, she was lost out in the Pacific, the United States. Then the United States government was passed through all the Pacific Police and the Air Force in a search for that room. And they could, and they served, they would have cost research. And finally the time came and even other nations got involved until the words pronounced even as sadness called out. A costly thing. And the hint of also another one, Rockefeller, when his son was living in the Pacific, he stopped everything. He stopped everything in Washington, where he went. All his money behind him. and his son was missing in one of those islands in the Pacific. And Rakhapur went all through those trestles, marshes, over those mountains, rivers, mountains, lakes, looking, looking, with many others, looking, planes flying over. Paracostas there, even the natives were looking. The incarnate money, the fine, fine Rakhapur came and stopped. with a hot leaflet. How will it complete? May the one be found. That is a sad one. People we, when people are found, they reach the dead. Father, we reach the dead. When we give up the faith. Then I want to say this, God, started the most costly thing in the history of the universe. He sent his son into this world. Why did he come to encroach this dinner? The son of man who comes with peace and the pain that was his loss. It was a costly thing. He took him to the cross where he said it precious blood. He laid down his life to find the peace that was lost. Yes, he paid in this world. He paid the price of our redemption. He went back to heaven and he sent this book. He sent his Holy Spirit to accompany this book. He explained it to a flyer. He sent his servant, the evangelist, in search for lost sinners. To try and find that the cost, they say. Is there going to be successful? You hold the answer. Is there going to be unsuccessful? You hold the answer. Some people with whom God is leading by is Holy Spirit. They finally turn off, and I came very close to doing this, When God told His Spirit to be dealing with me, I ventured very close to that collection, to ask God to leave me alone, let me go my way. In other words, God says, Paul often says, If God has done that, God be in prayer today. If he wasn't one time, salvation, I'd try and get him to receive it. Pull off the curse. But you know sometimes men and women can do that. Lord, I know you're after me. I know you want to save me. But I'm not ready yet. Call off the curse. That would be the most tragic thing that ever happened in your life. That God has left me the only one. It's a cost, Misha. That's a wonderful verse, and then a tragic verse. Those who are in I, there are forty-nine, referring to the Lord Jesus. Christ, and these are the words. Christ, as I am labor in vain, I have sent my strength for an orphan in vain. Yet my judgment is with the Lord, and my work is with my God. So, Lord, he is speaking about what he is. Trying to rescue Israel or get you the revelation. And he reflects upon, I haven't found nature for the nation. I found them as an individual. But it is still that a nation has turned to me. They've gone into idolatry. They've gone into worshipping idols. They've gone into the awful life that accompanies idolatry. And he says, I have made a decision. I've set my strength for not. It's not going to mean anything. And he says this, yet my judgment is with the Lord and my work is with my God. My time. Thank the Lord Jesus. I say this. Then I wonder if that will deceive you. For forty-nine years I've been in, no, trust me, fifty years. Forty-nine years in the South, twenty-six years in all this. I sent my strength to my living to keep the gospel, to see men being saved, is it indeed? Thank God, no. Hundreds have been saved in the South. Have they been all this? Allah, Allah. And that is given that you, the Spirit proved that they rebelled. And all my wages are in vain. I spent my strength so much as in vain. And the Lord be beside in vain. All he did is in vain until he was saved. But then I mentioned one time to you. He learned John Hines. The best of mathematics for which in a family came up the last night of the season evening. He had only put the revelation. He had got a diamond sheet and a crowd satting around. He said, look, no one of thanks to you, he helped me a lot. No one of thanks. I said, Mr. Hanuman, he said, no, he said, no, he said, I haven't helped you at all. He's got dead now. You've just taken a hand. The only way I've helped you is for you to get saved. Otherwise, I spent my strength so long as a baby. I've never got up and asked people for money. I've never got up and asked for the joy in this church. But I have got up and pled with them to accept Jesus Christ as a baby. So trust him and be saved and thank God for the many. who has responded, saved, and not one of them has ever returned. In all my years of teaching, I've never had one person come up to me and say, I reject this certain time. No, then, if it's something, you'll never reject. It's a cost, he says. What will the conclusion be of God's costly service? the finding of faith, the holy one. As to whether or not the third, that costly third is going to be successful or unsuccessful. If it's successful, heaven will rejoice. Tell the mourn. If the third is unsuccessful, and you reject Jesus Christ, tell the rejoice and hear him with him. He has returned. Tlawed tongue, I hope, and find Jesus more. Then you have the next Bible. You have over in Luke, Levantine. Here you have some birds, some lepers, ten lepers. In a marketing story, they came the path. As he went to Jerusalem, he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. That he entered into a certain village and left him ten days. That were lepers which stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices and said, He was masked and had mercy on us. When he saw them, he said on them, Go show yourselves unto the priest. It became the path that as they went they were standing. And one of them, when he saw them, he was standing. Turned back into their loud voice glorified for us. and fell down on his face and he was asleep, giving him back to the wood of the night. And Jesus answered and said, There they are not came, saying, But there are the night. There are not found. That is the night. The return that gives, God gives, but gives. He couldn't find the night. He wanted them to come back and tell him they had done them. He was right. What does it mean? They didn't worship the Lord. They didn't thank the Lord for being friends. Remember this, God keeps worshiping. The Bible tells you that over in John chapter four, the Father keeps us up to worship Him. God is teaching not only things, to keep his worship. Those who will worship him say that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. For the Father's teacher taught to worship him. And worshiping is a costly thing. It cost God for you to worship him. In the Old Testament, in the book of the Leviticus, there's a whole book about worship. And all the costs in animals. They have to have the best of animals, of bullets, of growth, of harm, of growth. Everything had to be the best, no blammy. And those animals were slain by the thousands, by the hundreds of thousands, down to the Old Testament. That was essential, if they could worship God. It was a costly thing. And it was more costly to me. One broth of the blood of Jesus Christ is worth more than all that blood that flows from Jesus. In order for us to worship God, it costs all these nuns. We can only enter into the holiness of God through the blood of Jesus. And in order for one to worship God, we had our worship meeting this morning. The bread and the wine, it costs labor. because God has done it, in order that we might worship God in spirit and in peace. God is teaching worship. Of course, he is teaching service, the service that is teaching, worshiping, and it costs money. And so we find these lepers, only one returns a gift in time. and not going to do any of that anymore, but I want to mention something else. You could mention Christ in place about this situation, this one returning and not the other nine, and his remark, is this the only one who has come back for thousands. You know, in gratitude was one of the tannish things in life. He was a boy one time, and he was in, through. He got beyond his depth, and he began to plunder his heavenly, he was going down. The man passing, an elderly gentleman, not too well. But he had the rest to that boy, and he did. He went in, and he pulled the boy out, got him back up on the bank. And now they had permanent attention to the old man. He took a heart attack. Now all the attention was focused on the old man. The boy was, Ah, Ma. And after the old man was pronounced dead, the boy looked around for the boy, and the boy ran away. No one could find the boy. And that was what was in the case. The boy that was saved. And the boy. Someone gave his life to save you. And have you accepted, are you so unwavering, if you can't hide it? I've saved him. Two men went through his jail one day and looked through this man that shot him on the walk through. Here a druid-eyed and droid-eyed man looked through the bars of that bag. When he looked at the stranger, he was being taken place. He says, Sam, that he is never lost your mind. And I understand that. He said, no. He said, thank God for what I've lost my mind. Do you know something of being anxious? Can you thank God for salvation? Then he thanked him for killing his tongue. Then he thanked the Lord Jesus and he died on the cross for Jews. So put your sins away and give you everlasting life. And the kind of children were going to heaven. Now when he was standing on the street corner one day, a busy intercession. It happened to days of old tradition. And he saw a little girl standing there, a cute little ladle, and he was evidently wanting to go across the street. And he didn't have the light there. And she kept looking at that man. Finally, he walked over to his bed. Do you want to go across the street? That's it. That's it. So he was taking a hand. Yes, he put it hand. He walked across the street. Then he got to the other side. She turned around and said, Thanks for the focus, please please. And then she went on. And she turned and looked over. And she saw, he saw the little girl tossing into this lady, and pointing at the king. And that little girl ran on. She tossed the lady. What was he saying? All she was telling me. You see that man? She put me by the hand and she got me across that street. And today he's right now. And I thank him. You know what the teacher said about Sramina Sramina? He gave this image to me. He said, that little girl did four things. She took my hand. I was supposed to. She took my hand. She talked to me. You know what's on me before. Then she thanked me. And then she talked about me. She told others what I did. That's God's central salvation. Friend, we offer me a hand. He said that I was the sinner and I was lost. I was on a danger of danger to him. I took his hand. I trusted him. Yes, I did. And I thanked him. One of the first things I did the night I got saved. After rejoicing with my parents and calling up my sister who lived up two or three blocks from where our home was, I called up Mr. Taylor. One of the elders in me was meeting there, and he lived down the street. He had often spoken to me. I called him up. I said, Mr. Taylor, I got there tonight. There must have been about ten o'clock by this time when I went up to my room. I went in. I turned on the light, right inside the room, under that light. It was a case there where I sat and read nothing, but a funny case where Jesse James wrote, And I met her by that chair for the first time I ever lived here. And I thank God sincerely. Just like so many years, she took it hand. She talked to her. She thanked her. And since that night, I've been doing what that little girl, she's doing about that man, telling others what the Lord Jesus did to me. That's what I'm telling you this morning. What the Lord Jesus did for me, a poor, lost sinner of a giant, stubborn young man wanting to live for this life. I thank God, I trust Him. I thank God he saved me. And I thank God I can tell about it. I don't know whether he better the test with the film there in the room about the Lord Jesus. He saved us, sanitized us, slaughtered, pounded us, and he did all those other things. And the Lord not only pound me and paid me, but he found me now as a worshiper, and come together along with us there. We each can remember things both that cost us. God watching, and I'm not going to go there. God watching in Luke, Psalm thirty-seven. Blessed are those servants whom the Lord has made a covenant of thine walking. Now let's just finish this walking, walking to the coming of the Lord Jesus. Find walking. And this is the realization right in the face and I conclude. out on the northern coast of England. Also of Scotland, there used to be a fishing boat, not a very little needle, but a private one, and it would leave and go out into the North Sea, those trenches of water, in order to get fish. Sometimes it'd be out three or four weeks. Oh, what a jala day when they heard the word. It was just a coming day. And how they would line the banks and line the dock as closer and closer, It's gone through a big storm. I'm there with the wives and the children looking and scanning me. Is that close enough? Finally, there's twice a few husbands. Another one will see another five years father. What a happy time when the ship docks and what a time will rejoice in. But the captain walked off the ship and looked around. Anybody else was happy? See if it's true. She went home, we had about a half a mile, she walked, there was a lovely home. She knocked at the door and, of course, all of a sudden the door, who opened the wife, hugged his neck and the children, daddy, daddy, we dragged her back. But she noticed that there was something wrong. She said, well, what's that? She told us, she said, all those other wives and their children went down with the drop, walking. You were at home meeting, day one. That's the point. All you say, I'm the agent of the Lord, I'm lining up today, I'm going to give you this one, David will do it. There's something better than that, and that is to be day one. Looking for that blessed hope, the glorious appearing of our great God in Cane, Jesus Christ. Are you one? Cane. He may come today. How wonderful after you. Found wandering. Found worshiping. Found walking. May it be your amnesty to talk. Amen. Concerning our Lord Jesus Christ. Is this going to be the conversation? honor, very successful, just softly done. All that will be of fabulous. You can, if you vote, give a name. Amen. Amen. Our Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we commend you for thy presence. We ask thy blessing upon our children. We thank you for our Savior, the one who loves you and gave and so forth. We ask thy blessing upon thy word this morning, so grateful for everyone under Father Troy, and be a sage, and a watching day for the Lord and under those who are not. The cross we search is still on, and may they not call it off. O Father, may they come from the Savior in detail this morning, telling of his love, and he is with us, and we ask him in our favor. So he sing, in closing, three hundred and seventy-three, just as I am without one seed, but that's thy blood you shed for me, and that thou bid'st me come to thee. All that, O God, I come, I come. Will you come to Christ as we stand and sing as we may be? Come and tell us, we stand and sing.