69th Anniversary Program

The Baptist Bible Hour now comes to you under the direction of Elder LeSaire Bradley, Jr. This is LeSaire Bradley, Jr. inviting you to stay tuned for another message of God's sovereign grace.

With today's broadcast, we complete 69 years on the air with the Baptist Bible Hour, and we're bringing you a special anniversary program. Our theme is Help in Trouble. There's always trouble to face because we live in a world that's under the curse of sin.

But the troubles encountered over the past couple of years have without question been particularly difficult. Multitudes around the world have been sick with the coronavirus, and many have died. For most of us, this was not something we read about taking place at a distance, but we have had the virus and have had family members and friends to die from it. We certainly have needed help to cope with these trials, and we have learned as never before that God is our help in trouble. I've brought messages that I prayed would give hope and comfort to those who are struggling.

One of those messages was entitled Help in Trouble. The coronavirus is a problem. It's a trouble we're concerned about, but it doesn't compare with what's described in this passage. If the mountains should be carried into the sea, if the earth is trembling and shaking, well, this is talking about a mighty change, the earth being removed, the mountains being carried into the midst of the sea, the waters roaring. When we read that, we think about the tsunami a few years back that took the life of so many people in another country. But in all this, there's a reminder, God is our refuge, a very present help in trouble.

But we're talking about a refuge, a hiding place, a place of protection, a place when you go, when you feel like everything is falling apart. Psalm 63 verse 11, God hath spoken once, twice have I heard this, that power belongeth unto God. So we're talking about the fact that God is able to help. He's able to help because power belongs to God. He is the sovereign ruler of heaven and earth. There's no storm that can rage. There is no comet that can fall out of the sky. There is no virus that can go on a rampage that's out of God's control.

Aren't you glad to know that? God rules and reigns. Not only is God able to help because of his power, because of his sovereign majesty, because he's working all things after the counsel of his own will, he's willing to help. He's willing to help. He's described in this Psalm as being a present help. Not a help that's at such a distance you can't reach him. Sometimes a person may have said to you, now if you ever need any help, call on me.

And you called on them and they weren't available or they couldn't help you anyway. And so he rides upon the heaven of heavens. He does send out his voice and that a mighty voice, ascribe ye strength unto God. His excellency is over Israel and his strength is in the clouds. Oh God, thou art terrible out of thy holy place. The God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people. Blessed be God. He has a mighty voice. He has all power.

Nothing too hard for the Lord. He was working his will. He's accomplishing his purpose. He's looking after his people.

He's exalting his name. He giveth strength and power to his people. We have to come before him admitting our weakness. We need help. We need his strength.

We need his power. We need his grace. Psalm 62 verse 7. In God is my salvation and my glory.

The rock of my strength and my refuge is in God. Trust in him at all times ye people. Pour out your heart before him. We're encouraged to pour out our heart. If you're troubled, whatever the situation may be, whatever it is that causes you worry or anxiety, pour out your heart before him. Go to the Lord.

You say, well, he knows all about it, yes, but he invites us and encourages us to come and pour out our hearts and just tell him exactly how you feel. What's troubling you. God is a refuge for us.

He is willing to help. Oh, how sad when God's people sometimes struggle on in the darkness, trying to hold up under heavy burdens and fail to take it to the Lord. What joys are lost. What blessings are unclaimed because we haven't turned to him. You say, well, I feel so unworthy.

Well, you are. We're all unworthy. We don't come to the Lord expecting to be blessed because we're entitled to a blessing and because we're worthy. We come to him as needy sinners, but come because he has encouraged us to come. He is willing to help.

And the fact is he has helped. You've got a testimony to know that this is not just some promise that might never have been fulfilled or might never be remembered. Psalm 46 verse 7, the Lord of hosts is with us, not just that he might be with us.

He is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. Psalm 61, Psalm 61 verse 3, for thou has been a shelter for me and a strong tower from the enemy. Lord, thou hast been my shelter. I needed a strong tower.

I needed a place where I could go for help. Lord, thou hast been that shelter. Thou hast been that strong tower where I could find safety. Psalm 90 verse 1, Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. O God, our health in ages past our hope for years to come, O God, our health in ages past our hope for years to come, be thou my guide while I shall last and our leader go home. One of my messages this past year was entitled simply, God is on the throne.

We introduced it by saying that you might be in conversation with someone. They mentioned the crisis with COVID. They expressed their fear as to what it may mean for the future. So after a time of discussing troubles, you'd say, well, God is on the throne.

But how is this truth applied? Many times after a declaration of God's sovereignty, we go right on fearful, doubting, and worried. But if we embrace this truth by faith, we will not worry. He says, fear not, for I am with thee, be not dismayed.

What more could we ask? We've admitted to God that we worship this sovereign. He's on the throne. Well, if this God who is on the throne is not just at a distance, but he is with us, what a difference that makes.

We can't overcome fear because we're confident that his promises can be relied upon. For I am thy God. I will strengthen thee, yea, I will help thee.

What a promise. This God who is on the throne has said, I will help thee. We're starting to know we need help.

We need it in many, many instances in life. If we recognize our own frailties and weaknesses, we know that we need his help every hour of every day. And he's promised, I will help thee. I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

And if that wasn't enough, write in the same chapter. We go to verse 13. For I, the Lord thy God, will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not, I will help thee. If a little child is fearful, he loves to take hold of daddy's hand. Just hold my hand.

I feel better already. Well, this God who is on the throne is so near to us, he says, I will hold thee by thy right hand. I want to be there. I'm not so far away that I can't help you.

I will help you. And verse 14 continues, Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and you men of Israel. I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. So remember when you make the basic statement that God is on the throne.

That's true. But if you go on fearful, then you're not making the application of it. The application is, yes, God is on the throne, but he's holding me. He's helping me.

He's got me by the hand. He's going to take care of me. So if by faith we embrace the truth that God is sovereign, and we're trusting him as our present help, we can also have great joy. For the Lord, we can have joy. Because not only do we say God is on the throne, as though, well, he's up there somewhere. He's going to take the blessings from us. But we have access to the throne room. Hebrews 4 16, Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Isn't that a marvelous privilege? That we can communicate with this sovereign ruler who is on the throne. Who is on the throne is your father. If you've come to faith in Jesus Christ, then you've been adopted into his family. And God is your father. So it's not just a matter of saying, well, God's on the throne, like out there somewhere. I don't know what's going on or what God's doing.

I'm going to go on worrying and fretting and doubting and dealing with troubles in a very negative way. I know when you understand this sovereign ruler cares about you. He knows where you are. He knows you intimately. He knows your circumstances. He is your father.

You can therefore rejoice. My father is rich in houses and lands. He holdeth the wealth of the world in his hands of rubies and diamonds, of silver and gold. His coffers are full. He has riches untold. I'm a child of the King, a child of the King with Jesus my Savior.

I'm a child of the King. Today we complete 69 years on the air with this broadcast, and we're bringing you a special anniversary program with the theme, Help in Trouble. How comforting to know that with all the troubles we've encountered over the past couple of years and with whatever troubles lie ahead, we are not left alone.

We have help, a very present help in trouble. I pray these truths of God's sovereignty and His unfailing promises will be a comfort to you. If they are, and you would like this program to continue and want to help by supporting it, address your letter to the Baptist Bible Hour, Box 17037, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. Or you can make a donation by going to our website at BaptistBibleHour.org. And if you will request it, we will send you a message on CD in which we further pursue this theme, God is our help in trouble.

This message is not on the website, so the only way to receive it is by writing and requesting the CD. Through the years, many of our listeners have written to tell us how much they appreciate our singers and the hymns they sing. We were singing one of the old hymns in church recently, and I noticed how appropriate the words are for the theme we're considering today. Abide with me, fast falls the even tide, the darkness deepens, Lord, with me abide. When other helpers fail and comforts flee, help of the helpless, oh, abide with me. Abide with me, fast falls the even tide, when other helpers fail and comforts flee, help of the helpless, oh, abide with me. It's good to be reminded that he is the help of the helpless, and he is the help of the unworthy.

We must all say with the patriarch Jacob, I'm not worthy of the least of his mercies. One of my recent messages was entitled, Mercy Unto the Heavens. The text is Psalm 57, verse 9. I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people. I will sing unto thee among the nations, for thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds. Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let thy glory be above the earth.

We then looked at some examples of mercy. In Luke, chapter 16, verse 9, it says that he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves. So Jesus says, here's the parable. Two men went up to the temple to pray, the one a Pharisee and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee that I am not, as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. And look at what I do.

I fast twice in the week. I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not so much as lift up his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breath, saying, God, be merciful to me, a sinner.

Have you ever been there? If you haven't, I pray you will. That we come humbly before God, acknowledging, Lord, I am a sinner. I've broken your law.

I'm a rebel by nature. Have mercy, God, be merciful to me, a sinner. And Jesus said, I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other. For everyone that exalted themselves shall be abased, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. The hymn writer puts it, I own I'm guilty, own I'm vile, yet thy salvation's free, and in thy all-abounding grace, O Lord, remember me. Somebody may say, well, I go to church all the time. I was brought up in a Christian home.

Well, that's well and good. But if you've never gone to that place, as did the publican, God, be merciful to me, the sinner, and recognize that your salvation alone is dependent on his mercy, the work of Jesus Christ at the cross, you need to go there. So we see pictures of mercy in the scripture. What did the publican receive? Mercy. He didn't deserve anything. He received mercy. He went down to his house justified. What about the prodigal son when he said, I will arise and go to my father? What did he receive?

Mercy. I remember talking to a man one time, and he says, you know, there's a lot about the Bible I don't understand, but one thing that troubles me more than anything else is that story about the prodigal son. He said, it just wasn't right. That boy didn't deserve to have a feast. He didn't deserve that at all.

I said, that's the point of the lesson. He didn't deserve it. But it was mercy that he was welcomed by the father. What did he receive?

Not what he deserved. He received mercy. What about Saul of Tarsus? A great enemy of the church, persecuting Christians, despising the gospel of Jesus Christ.

What did he receive? Mercy. When the Lord called his name on the road to Damascus, Saul, Saul, why persecute us without me? Humbled this man, transformed his life, used him then as the greatest of the apostles. Oh, how great is the mercy of God.

Paul could then say, in hope of eternal life, which God that cannot lie promised before the world began. And we see so many examples of this in Scripture. As God's people cry out for mercy, Psalm 25, 16, Turn thee unto me and have mercy on me, for I am desolate and afflicted.

Have you ever been there? We've felt to be desolate, afflicted, heavy burdens. You didn't think you could carry it any farther. And you prayed, Lord, turn unto me, have mercy on me. Psalm 30, verse 10, Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me. Lord, be thou my helper. Oh, we need help desperately to cope with all of the challenges of life. Lord, have mercy on me and be my helper.

Our hope is alone in the Lord. Have mercy. As we see, we're invited to obtain mercy and to find help in time of need. Yes, the help we need in trouble is available to us. Do you feel your need of mercy?

Then listen to this. Hebrews 4 16, Let us therefore come boldly, what, to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Isn't that wonderful that you are invited to come, encouraged to come, even come boldly. You say, well, I'm not worthy. You're right.

You're not. But you come boldly because you're coming in the name of Jesus Christ. The previous verse cited him as our great intercessor. We come to him knowing that there is hope according to mercy. You say, I need mercy. You come not to the bar of justice, but to the throne of grace. You obtain the mercy you need and find grace to help. In these troubled times, we all would like to have rest for our souls.

And there's only one place to find it. Listen to Jesus' tender words. I may be speaking to somebody who could say, I believe I received that rest when he says, come unto me and I will give you rest.

You may look back and say, it was many years ago in childhood. I didn't know a lot, but I knew enough to know I needed Jesus and I came to him by faith and trusted him and he had given me rest. But of late, you've had difficulty enjoying that additional rest, which he said you would find by taking his yoke upon you and learning of him.

Troubles of the past months have taken their toll. You find yourself anxious and restless, but listen to the precious words of Jesus, come unto me. As our great high priest, he is touched with the feeling of our infirmities.

Isn't that marvelous? To know I can come to Jesus, not trying to hold anything back, but admit, Lord, I am weak. I need thee desperately. I acknowledge my unworthiness, but there's nowhere else to go. I come to you. He is touched with the feeling of our infirmities and ever lives to make intercession for us so he bleeds our keys. Oh yes, come, come to him with your heavy heart today, trying to struggle against satanic attacks as he would discourage you. Come, come unto me, says Jesus.

Or I may be speaking to some who have never had peace with God. You've tried several ways to find rest for your soul, but you're still laboring and heavy laden. Hear the words of Jesus. He says, come to me. He is gentle.

He is lowly in heart. He will not turn you away. You say, but I'm such a great sinner. He says, come, come unto me. You say, there's so much I don't know, but he says, come, come unto me.

He will not turn you away. Come to Jesus today. Dear Savior, we thank thee for these comforting, precious words that you, though great, glorious, and majestic, have said that you are meek and lowly in heart and invite us to come to you. May all today who are troubled come in faith and find rest with their souls. May those who have never had that given rest see today their desperate need and come to Jesus. Hear us for thy name's sake, we pray. Amen.

Broken hearts and wounded spirits are at one's name all again. Today we have brought you a special anniversary broadcast as we've now completed 69 years on the air. I hope you will write and let us know that you've listened.

Please mention the call letters of the station of which the program comes to you. And if you request it, we will send you a message on CD emphasizing this truth that the Lord is our help in trouble. Address your letter to the Baptist Bible Hour, Box 17037, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. And until next week at this same time, may the Lord richly bless you all. No matter how dark the night or bitter the winds that blow one touch of the Master's gentle hand and I am ready to go. I'll go anywhere with Him through deepest or sinking sand as long as I feel the tender touch the touch of His gentle hand. One touch of His gentle hand means more than the world to me.

One touch of His gentle hand will make every shadow flay. I'll not be afraid to go and bravely take my stand with courage and zeal as long as I feel the touch of His gentle hand. The Baptist Bible Hour has come to you under the direction of Elder LeSaire Bradley, Jr. Address all mail to the Baptist Bible Hour, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. That's the Baptist Bible Hour, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. Wherever I chance to be wherever my feet may roll I'll trust in the Lord's unchanging hand to lead me all the way home and ever my prayer shall be to safely uphold my stand that I can just be with Him.