From Clochr Valley in County Tyrone we present Let the Bible Speak. It's good to have you join us as Gospel Minister the Reverend Peter McIntyre is here to let the Bible speak and preach Christ in all his fullness. I would like to read the Psalm 48 today. A song and psalm for the sons of Korah. Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of His holiness. Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth is Mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King. God is known in our palaces for a refuge. For lo, the kings were assembled, they passed by together. They saw it, and so they marvelled. They were troubled and hasted away. Fear took hold upon them there, and pain as of a woman in Tarshish. Thou breakest the ships of Tarshish with an east wind. As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the God of hosts. In the city of our God, God will establish it for ever. Selah. We have thought of thy lovingkindness, O God, in the midst of thy temple. According to thy name, O God, so is thy praise unto the ends of the earth. Thy right hand is full of righteousness. Let Mount Zion rejoice. Let the daughters of Judah be glad because of thy judgments. Walk about Zion and go round about her. Tell the towers thereof. Mark ye well her bulwarks. Consider her policies. that ye may tell it to the generation following. For this God is our God forever and ever. He will be our guide even unto death. We know that God will bless the reading of his word to our hearts. Today I want to talk to you about the guide. Verse 14 says, For this God is our God forever and ever. He will be our guide even unto death. We're at the beginning of a year. We do not know what lies ahead. We do not know what troubles, what tragedies, what sorrows, what tears. Likewise, we do not know what unexpected joys or happinesses or surprises of the pleasant type that will come our way this year. The truth is we're in the fog of time. We do not know what lies ahead. We do not know what's around the next corner in the road of life. We do not know what will happen to us before another year dawns. We're at the beginning of a year and it's a time for looking forward, it's a time for making plans and yet none of those plans may come to pass. We may never see another Christmas. The truth is, we don't know. And that makes life very uncertain and we're so aware of the uncertainty of life We're so conscious that we are in this world and we cannot take another day for granted. But it is a comfort in the midst of life's insecurities and uncertainties that there is one that can help us. There is one that can show us the way ahead. And that is God. And in this 14th verse we are told, for this God is our God forever and ever. He will be our guide even unto death. It is believed that this psalm was possibly written after the great siege of Jerusalem, when the forces of the Assyrians, they encompassed the city. They swept every other nation away round about Judah and they had conquered all of Judah but they had to conquer Jerusalem to consolidate their victory. They had to defeat the king and his name is Hezekiah but Hezekiah was a man of prayer. He sought God. He knew that he did not have the resources. He did not have the armies. He did not have the munitions. He could not stand up to the great superpower in the region at that time. And God intervened remarkably and the Assyrians were defeated. God answered prayer and Hezekiah was very grateful. It is possible the Psalm 46 was written at this time. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble. And here in the Psalm 48 we read, Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, in the city of our God, in the mountain of His holiness. Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth is Mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King. God is known in our palaces for a refuge. The city became a refuge. Jerusalem, that old mountain fortress, was undefeated. that remained the place where the people could worship God, where the beautiful temple was, and where their kingdom could be administered. God heard them. And as they reflected upon all of this, the people of that time praised God for what he had done. They said, for this God is our God forever and ever. He will be our guide even onto death. So let us think about this today. Let's think about how this relates to us today in the year 2025. Let's first of all think about the relationship that exists. It's so important that we have a relationship with God. Do you know that there is a God? You say, I'm not an atheist. There is a God. He made the heavens and the earth. He has given us His Scripture. We worship Him. But is He your God? Perhaps He is just a person, or a philosophy, or a thought. But He's not your God. Is He your God today? How can God become your God? You see, the Lord's Prayer teaches us, Our Father which art in heaven, We pray to one who is our father. The whole message of the Christian faith is that we can know God. How can we know God? Jesus Christ, he prayed for his people, and he prayed that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. That they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. To know God is to waken in the morning and know that God is with you. And your prayers are not just a ritual. They're not just some kind of recitation. They are a conversation with one whom you know as your God. It is to go through the day from morning to evening with that peace. If life were to be removed, you'd be in the presence of God forever and ever. It is to know that you have one who plans out your life. who is all of our times in the very palm of His hands, who makes absolutely no mistakes. It is to know that our sins are forgiven. It is to have a peace, a peace, to know God. So do you know Him? You know, Jesus Christ, He prayed that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent, we know the only true God through Jesus Christ. And the Lord said, this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God. When you know the only true God through Jesus Christ, you have eternal life. Eternal life is not something you get when you die. Eternal life is something you have now. And you have it through Christ. Because God gave his Son and he offered up his Son upon that cross, where he took our sin and took our pain, took our shame, took our very guilt and he died for us, that we might know God. And whenever you confess your sin and call upon God, and ask Christ to be your saviour, you can have this peace, this relationship. It's a really personal relationship. There's no relationship more endearing than that between a husband and wife, and God says that whenever we become Christians, we're part of the church, the church is his bride, and the church is the bride of Christ. And then the next important relationship in life is that between a parent and a child. God is our Father, we are His children. And God has given us all of these lessons, these illustrations, these metaphors to show us that it is a real personal relationship, a relationship of love, a relationship of trust, a relationship of ownership to know God. It's a personal relationship, it's a permanent relationship. Nothing is permanent in this life. We cannot be certain of the next day But when you know God, He's your God forever and ever. This is what we read here. For this God is our God forever and ever. He's not just the Creator. He is our God forever and ever and ever. And you think of the power of God. His power is beyond all of our imagination. Nothing is impossible to Him. There are no limits to that power. You think of that knowledge and that wisdom. He's the fount of all knowledge and yet, The greatest knowledge that we have, it is so little compared to the mind of God. And yet, with that great knowledge, He knows us personally. And He cares for us. And He's our God forever and ever. It cannot be broken. So whenever you trust Christ as your Saviour, you enter into a personal relationship with Him. and God becomes your God forever and ever. There's nothing more wonderful than this. I want you to understand that today. Let's also think about the reality of this experience. The reality of this experience is that He is our guide. He is our guide. For this God is our God forever and ever. He will be our guide even unto death. We're facing death. Death is a great inescapable fact of life. In the midst of life, we are in death. The essence of life is to be prepared for death. And yet, as we face death, as we face the grave, as we face the end, and that day is coming for us all, we have one who is our guide. Psalm 23 talks about this, the shepherd going before the flock. And there's green pastures, and there's still waters, and there's nice places, but there's a dark valley there, and there's a dangerous place. but the shepherd is there. He never leaves his flock. He never forsakes his flock. He's with you at all times. He's your guide. We do not know what the future holds, but we know the one that holds the future. And this word guide, it means that he leads us, but it also means he comes behind us. So he's in front of us, showing the way. And it's very wonderful because everything that we experience, Christ has experienced for us. He knows the path. We shed tears, He shed tears. We suffer pain, we suffer pain. He died, He died. He is touched by the feeling of our infirmity. He's going before, showing the way as one that has trod the path for us, but He's coming behind. He's sheltering us. He's keeping us. He's looking after us. And those who belong to his flock, not one of them, are going to be lost. Oh, to have assurance and security in this life, you need to know God. And as we lunch out into this year and as we look at the months that lie ahead, if you don't know the Lord, will you do something today? Will you bow your head and cry, Lord, save me. I want you to be my guide even unto death. then you can know what Paul talked about, the peace that passeth all understanding. I thank you so much for listening. you've been listening to Let the Bible Speak. If we can be of any further spiritual help, or if you would like to receive some free gospel literature, we invite you to write to us. Our mailing address is Let the Bible Speak, Rev. Peter McIntyre, 13 Willand Crescent, 5 Mile Town, County Tyrone, BT75OQL. That's Let the Bible Speak, Rev. Peter McIntyre, 13 Willand Crescent, Five Mile Town, County Tyrone, BT75 OQL. You may hear Mr. McIntyre preach each Lord's Day here in Clocker Valley Free Presbyterian Church at 11.30am and 7pm. For further information you may phone us at 028 8952 1611 028 8952 1611 1 1. We assure you of a very warm welcome at all the services, and look forward to having you visit with us. Thank you for listening today. May the Lord richly bless you, and don't forget to tune in on this same station at the same time next week, when once again we turn to the Scriptures and let the Bible speak.