The Everlasting Arms - Part 1 of 1

The Baptist Bible Hour now comes to you under the direction of Elder LeSaire Bradley, Jr. O for a thousand tongues to sing, my great Redeemer's praise! The glories of my God and King, the triumphs of his grace! This is LeSaire Bradley, Jr. inviting you to stay tuned for another message of God's sovereign grace. Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father! There is no shadow of turning with thee.

Thou changest not by compassion's sake, they're not, as thou hast been, thou forever will be. Great is thy faithfulness, great is thy faithfulness, morning by morning new mercies I see. All I have needed thy hand hath provided, great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me. This month we are celebrating our 71st anniversary with the Baptist Bible Hour, and I'm certainly thankful the Lord has enabled us to be on the air through all these years, bringing the truth of his sovereign grace.

I hope that you will take time to write and let us know that you've listened to the program. Our address is Baptist Bible Hour, Box 17037, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. I also encourage you to visit our website at BaptistBibleHour.org.

You can read the Baptist Witness. My grandson, William Tomlinson, and his wife, Abby, were expecting their first child last year, and little Henry surprised them by coming three months early and weighing only one pound three ounces. He had to be immediately put into the NICU unit. The staff was very diligent and included William and Abby in his care so that he had the warmth and touch of his parents from the beginning.

I was obviously concerned about him and began praying for him immediately upon his birth. I read over some of the promises in scripture which have given me comfort over the years, but could not find the peace that I hoped for. And then one day I remembered a sermon I had preached a few years ago on the everlasting arms. So I looked up that text in Deuteronomy 33, 27. The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.

And I found comfort in that. And as if that wasn't enough, a few days later I thought of another verse. Psalm 91, 4. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust. I remembered seeing little chicks gathering under the wings of the mother hen. They found safety under her wings and warmth covered with her feathers.

I thought, how gracious is the Lord to paint such a picture for us so we might better appreciate his tender love. Well, as I thought about these two verses, I conclude that if little Henry was supported by God's everlasting arms and covered with his wings, he couldn't be in a better place, and I found peace. When Henry was four months old, he was released from the hospital, and the Lord blessed his parents with the strength to provide the round-o-clock care that he needed. Since they moved back to Cincinnati, William and Abby are at church most every Sunday, and Henry, now weighing 14 pounds, is with them. He has developed a very sweet personality. He loves to smile and laugh, so at the end of the service, there's usually a line of people waiting to see Henry.

I've shared this story for two reasons. First, I want once more to praise God and thank him for blessing this little baby to grow and be with us today. He still has some challenges, and so we would appreciate your prayers. Secondly, I hope that the two verses we have quoted will be a blessing in comfort to you. In a few moments, we will be bringing a portion of the message I preached a few years ago, the everlasting arms. Praise God from whom all blessings flow, Praise him, all creatures here below, Praise him above ye heavenly hosts, Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Amen. Our theme for this month is the help we need, and what better help could we ask for than to hear, Underneath are the everlasting arms. And so, as we begin this part of the message, we're talking about Peter stepping out of the boat and attempting to walk on the water and the help he needed. I asked the Lord if he might step out of the boat and be able to walk on the water. But when he looked down and saw the waves lashing at his feet, he became fearful, and he started to sink. And he had to pray a rather quick prayer. Sometimes people think it takes a lot of words to pray.

Wasn't any time for an introduction here. He had already been underneath. They just had to pray, Lord, save me! Lord, I'm about to perish. I need help.

I need help now. And the Lord lifted him up and rescued him. You may sometimes feel to be sinking in the waters, but underneath are the everlasting arms. Many trials can bring you very low. It can be sickness that lingers on. Some people suffer such tremendous pain, you wonder how they bear it day in and day out.

It may be the sickness of a loved one, sickness of a child. Financial problems can change one's whole life. Losing a job, maybe your house being foreclosed on, everything that you've had in place dramatically changed.

So how am I going to get through this? Family conflicts. These difficulties can be worse than physical suffering or financial losses, where there's bickering and bitterness between husband and wife and conflict between parents and children.

The frustration is great. It can be spiritual battles. Times when doubts have overtaken you. Things that you may never have questioned before. You say, well, I can't explain this. I don't have the answer for that. I'm just made to wonder where I am anyway. Sometimes your emotions are unexplainable.

Say, I'm just down. I can't tell you why. There's nothing special.

Nothing particular has happened. I wake up tired in the morning and I don't look forward to the day. I feel discouraged and I'm just perplexed. What do you do in these times? Remember the words of our text. Underneath are the everlasting arms. No matter how great the sickness, no matter how terrible the pain, no matter how significant the financial losses, no matter how impossible the family conflicts may seem to be, or the spiritual battles that are wearing you down, underneath are the everlasting arms.

Pray that the Lord will impress that promise on your mind. That when you face these difficulties, it's not going to be something that you forget about, but it's there uppermost in your mind and very much on your heart to remember underneath are the everlasting arms. See, when we're talking about the arms of God underneath us to support us, we're talking about dependence. And that's something our human nature often resists. I don't want to be dependent.

I want to be independent. But the Lord would have us to be dependent on Him. Psalm 33 verse 18 and then verses 20 through 21. Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear Him, upon them that hope in His mercy. Our soul waiteth for the Lord, for He is our help and our shield, for our hearts shall rejoice in Him because we have trusted in His holy name. That means we're not trusting in our own strength, our own willpower, our own determination, our schemes, our plans. We're not trusting in others because the arm of flesh will surely fail us, but we are trusting in Him. This is faith looking away from our own resources and trusting in the Lord. If you really believe and take delight in the fact that underneath are the everlasting arms, then you recognize I am dependent upon Him. Then verse 26 speaks of help. He is our help.

He's our helper. We need help. There are numerous enemies that we face. It's often summarized by saying we have against us the world, the flesh, and the devil. The world is there to entreat you and entice you and try to get you to follow its promises, which are empty and vain in the final analysis. Satan is our great adversary seeking whom he may devour.

He transforms himself into an angel of light and he deceives, leads people down the wrong path. The flesh itself, this old carnal nature of ours is prone to that which is sinful. So we need help. We need help because of the enemies that we encounter. We need help because of discouragement. How often we talk to people today who are discouraged. I've tried so hard, but it seems like I just can't get my life together.

It seems that I wanted so much to have a Christian home that would be an example to others and a blessing to those that are part of this family. But conflicts rage on. Discouragement. Weariness.

Just say, I'm ready to put you in the towel. I don't know how much more I can take. I'm weary.

I'm weary. But listen, he is our help. Isaiah chapter 40 verse 29. He giveth power to the faint and to them that have no might he increases strength. But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not be weary.

They shall walk and not faint. So, when you recognize I need help, where are you going to go to get it? Sad to say, many professed Christians turn to the wrong resources. They want to listen to the philosophies of men.

They want to be analyzed by the psychiatrists. But friends, ultimately, to deal with the enemies we face, the discouragement that would set us back, the weariness that would cause us to give up, our help is in the Lord. Help is promised.

Help is from on high. He rides upon the high places of the earth. In Isaiah chapter 41 verse 10, he says, Fear not, for I am with thee, be not dismayed, for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee, yea, I will help thee, yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Verse 13, For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not, I will help thee. Verse 14, Fear not, thou worm Jacob and ye men of Israel, I will help thee.

Three verses where God says, I will help thee. Do you believe Him? So many times our problems really come back to the fact that we just don't believe God.

You read what He says. You say, somehow it's not working for me. Just can't believe that this applies in my case. There's help from on high. There's help in the time of need. Hebrews chapter 4 verse 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. If you're facing a time of need, the promise is that you will find grace to help.

Help in the time of need. And when it speaks of Him being our helper, all of this language in Deuteronomy 33 certainly conveys the thought that He is a powerful helper. He is not one that is going to be defeated. He is not one that is unable to cope with the particular situation that you are currently encountering. Underneath are the everlasting arms, and the arm of God is spoken of repeatedly in the scripture with respect to power.

Let's look at an example. The book of Jeremiah chapter 32 verse 17, Ah Lord God, behold thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee. That expression is used a number of times in the scripture.

Talk about His stretched out arm. And here, it's with reference to creation itself. Lord, thou hast made the heaven and the earth. You did it by your power, by your stretched out arm, and therefore nothing is too hard for thee. Do you believe that?

Do you believe that? 2 Kings chapter 17 verse 36, But the Lord who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and a stretched out arm, Him shall you fear, and Him shall you worship, and to Him shall you do sacrifice. Creation was by a stretched out arm, bringing them up out of Egypt, sending the plagues upon the Egyptians parting the Red Sea, bringing them safely across, this was by His stretched out arm.

Victory therefore is assured. Underneath are the everlasting arms. The same arm by which He created the world is underneath you to hold you up and support you. Psalm 98 verse 1, O singing of the Lord a new song, for He hath done marvelous things, and His right hand hath gotten Him the victory.

There's His strong arm, His right hand has gotten Him the victory, therefore we ought to sing. Sing praises to Him, worshiping Him, rejoicing in Him. His purposes of grace are being accomplished because underneath are the everlasting arms.

Now, you can't visibly look at those arms. And you can't understand generally what all God is doing. But the fact that underneath are the everlasting arms, you can rest assured that though you don't see or you don't understand, He is doing what He has purposed to do, His mighty arm is at work and He is working to accomplish that which is for your good. And immediately somebody would say, Preacher, I could give you a whole list of things that are happening in my life and I don't see any good in any of them. This isn't to say that everything that happens to you is good in and of itself, but God in His sovereignty has a way of working these things together for the good of those that love Him. Romans chapter 8, the 28th verse, For we know that all things work together for good to them that love the Lord and are called according to His purpose. If you're called according to His purpose, the evidence of having been called is that you love Him. And if you love Him, the promise is that He is working things together for your good.

You don't have to see it at the moment, you don't have to understand it, but because He says it, you ought to believe it. And that gives you great consolation in the most difficult of times. We also see love here.

He supports His people. The fact that underneath are the everlasting arms speak of love. We see a mother carrying a little child underneath her arms supporting that little child. What does it say to you? She loves that little child.

She's holding Him up. Isaiah chapter 40 verse 11, Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand and His arm shall rule for Him. Behold, His reward is with Him and His work before Him. He shall feed His flock like a shepherd. He shall gather the lambs in His arms and carry them in His bosom and shall gently lead those that are with young.

What does He do? Carries the lambs in His arms. Is that not a gesture of love? That He is the Good Shepherd, has compassion for, interest in, and love for the little lambs of the flock. And then in John chapter 10 verse 28, It says, And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. My Father which gave them to Me is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father's hand. I and My Father are one, underneath are the everlasting arms. Those who are believers in Jesus Christ are supported by His arms.

No man is able to pluck them out. Jesus is love, and His love is everlasting. Underneath are the everlasting arms.

Not arms that are going to support you just for a limited amount of time. But the everlasting arms. Jeremiah 31, 3 says, I have loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore with love and kindness have I drawn thee. An everlasting love. And finally, the text speaks of happiness. It's talking about all of these marvelous blessings and benefits that God has showered upon His people, Israel.

And says such a people are happy. Surely there is reason for happiness when you come to embrace the truth here proclaimed underneath are the everlasting arms. I don't have to fear the future. I don't have to wring my hands in anxiety because there are things I can't figure out at the moment.

Underneath are the everlasting arms. Happiness. It speaks in that passage, Deuteronomy 33, of a people saved by the Lord. Now, if you've been saved by the Lord, you have every reason to be happy.

You have every reason to rejoice. Ephesians chapter 2 verse 4, But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us even when we were dead in sin, hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace ye are saved, and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. Isn't that a wonderful truth?

Think today. If the message that God sent would be one that sets forth hard conditions, sets a standard that you would know you could never meet, what to spare. But when you hear the good news of the gospel, that salvation is not by your works, your effort, or your merit, but it's by the grace of God that is given us through Jesus Christ, He has saved us by His grace, not according to our works. The faith itself is a gift bestowed upon us, saved by the Lord, helped by the Lord. The Lord doesn't just save your soul, and then leave you to struggle through life until finally the resurrection day comes. Philippians 2 13 says, For it is God which worketh in you, both the will and to do of His good pleasure. And chapter 1 of Philippians verse 6 says, That he who hath begun a good work in you will perform it unto the day of Jesus Christ. So He saved you, He is working in you by His grace, and then it speaks not only of being saved by the Lord, helped by the Lord, but delivered by the Lord. Verse 29 of Deuteronomy 33 says, The sword of thy excellency. There is victory now over the enemies that you encounter, and ultimately there is victory over death. First Corinthians 15 verses 53 to 57 talk about that enemy that at last shall be conquered. So then he says, Thanks be unto God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Seeing that underneath are the everlasting arms, what should be our response? What is your response? If you believe that, if you believe these wonderful promises that we've looked at, not only in Deuteronomy but in other portions of Scripture, you see that you can face the future with hope.

Many things in our troubled world today to cause you to be disturbed, discouraged. But if you know that underneath are the everlasting arms, you can face every challenge with confidence. No matter what the trial, all is well because you're being supported by His powerful arms. Lean every moment on those everlasting arms. When you have those moments that disturbances come and doubts beset you, and for an instant you've forgotten it, come back quickly to say, I must lean on Him. The arm of flesh will fail me, but His arm is strong, and underneath are the everlasting arms. Can you say with a hymn writer, my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness? I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name. On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand. If you've believed on Jesus Christ, underneath are the everlasting arms and you are secure.

Without Him you're on sinking sand, a place where there is nothing to hold you up. May you believe on Him today, and we give you opportunity to confess Christ as we stand to sing. Let us sing of Jesus and His love.

How is it with you today? Can you say that I am leaning on the everlasting arms of God? He is my hope, my salvation. If that's the case, there's no greater security, no greater comfort than to know He holds you up. Without Him, you're on sinking sand. There's no support, there's no hope, apart from Jesus Christ, who is the one and only Savior.

I hope that you will write us in until next week at this same time. May the Lord richly bless you all. Gloria's love and all wonderful grace have made you free. Sing of His love, Gloria's love, Gloria's love, Gloria's love, He will love you through all eternity. How we are to love this friend divine, and make faith love and service every day.