of the Deuteronomy, the book of Deuteronomy. And into the fourth chapter. Fourth chapter of the book. And first, that's it. When there are, in tribulations, and all these things that come upon thee, even in the latter day, he shall turn to the Lord thy God and shall be obedient unto his voice. For the Lord thy God is a merciful God. He will not forsake thee. neither destroy the nature, nor forget the covenant of thy father's which he swears. Before we turn to the next chapter, into the seventh chapter, when we remember those words, for the Lord died long, even lost to gold. Thank you, the seventh chapter. And the tenth chapter, and verse six. The tenth chapter, verse six. For our and holy people unto the Lord thy God. For the Lord thy God has chosen thee to be a special people unto himself. about all people that are on the face of the earth. If that is true of Israel, it is certainly true of God's people today. Look at that verse again. Read it again. Thou art and holy, see true unto the Lord thy God. The Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself about all people that are upon the face of the earth. And the Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you because he borrowed you with more in number than any people, for you were the purest of all people. that because the Lord loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had swarmed unto your fathers, that the Lord brought you up with a mighty hand and redeemed you up to the house of God and from the hand of Pharaoh in Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keepeth commandments to a thousand generations. The word there in verse nine, the faithful God. Now that the verse twenty are the same chapter. Moreover the Lord thy God will send the host among them. And till they that the rest can hide themselves from thee be destroyed, thou shalt not be excited at them. For the Lord thy God is among you a mighty God and terrible. And the Lord thy God will put out those nations from before thee by little behind little. Thou mayest not consume them at once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee. But the Lord thy God shall deliver them unto thee, and shall destroy them with a mighty destruction, until they be destroyed. And he shall deliver their kings unto thine head. thou shalt destroy their name from under heaven. There shall no man be able to stand before thee until thou hast destroyed it. And the word there in verse twenty-one says, How mighty God is and terrible. Now in the thirty-second chapter, December thirty-two. Verse three, because I will publish the name of the Lord ascribed in greatness unto our God. He is a rock. His work is perfect. For all his ways are judged, a God of truth, and without his equity, just unright is Jesus. The word there in the fourth verse, God of Jesus. And then in the thirty-third chapter, the thirty-third chapter, and verse twenty-seven, he eternal, he is thy victory, or thy hope. The eternal God is thy hope. And that beneath shall be everlasting heart. He shall thrust forth the enemy from before thee. And shall say, Destroy the first twenty-nine happy at thou, O Israel, who is right unto thee? O people, saved by the Lord. These are the scriptures that we hope to look at for these chapters five to each. We have read together five attributes of God. The merciful God, the faithful God, the mighty God, the God of truth, and the eternal God. And these are but five attributes of God as revealed in this book of Deuteronomy. The essence of God is not. We read God is not. That is precisely and exactly what God is. If I really want to know what God is, there is there. God is love. But His attributes vary and are many. And we're just in a book of five of them together here this evening. It never declares in the scriptures that God is just as good. That is but one of his attributes. God is just. That is just one of his attributes. And the first that we're going to look at this evening was the first that is recorded in this book of Deuteronomy. And this is where we really begin. This is where we really begin everyone with the mercy of God. We depend on this. We are entirely, totally dependent on the mercy of God. And sometimes there is a good thing that God has more mercy with us than sometimes we have on each other. He is, as we've been reading together, the merciful God. How different that is from the dictators and the tyrants that have sought to impose their authority on the world for decades. the demons, the Napoleon, the Hitler's, the Muslims, the Stalin's, the Crusaders, Jerusalem's, the Jerusalem's, a Martian without any trace of mercy. There is anybody here in Eden. And you've been thinking about God. And you feel him only as a vindictive tyrant, waiting to strike in righteousness. You have been harboring wrong thoughts of God. He is the God of justice. That is definitely taught in the book. And God really will by no means hear the guilty. That is true. But judgment, as revealed in the Bible, is always his strange word. God never delights. in dust. He's a light. It must. We sometimes read of the man that brings it up. Nine hundred and sixty-nine years old. Did you get that? nine hundred and sixty-nine years old, the oldest man that fell apart. His name, the accuser, the interpretation of his name, when he is dead, it shall count. And it did count. And even then after the death of refusal. God gave them, on top of that, another hundred and twenty years before the family which came. God gave them life out to be the oldest man that ever lived. God does not delight in dust. And now he did it again, and even on top of that gave them another one hundred and twenty years. they're in chains eventually. Now when we talk about the mercy of God, listen to these words. We're told that his mercy is precious, precious in mercy. And we read words like this. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his abundant mercy, has begotten us again, and will live in hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. His abundant mercy. We are told that he is rich. He must. It is the one of the things that God is rich. not the only way. He is which in us. And we are told that his mercy is great. High as the heavens are above the earth. So great is his mercy towards them that fear. We are told that his mercy is assured. This is one of the things that you can be sure of. In a world that I'm certain, anybody in this congregation tonight, and you're a stranger to the grace of God, you can be sure of his mercy here in this congregation that he is. The blessings we read are terrible. tender must. And we also read that in pure sorrow, there never will be a good lord of his mercy. Now let me read one of the words. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man be sworn, and let it return unto the Lord. And we will have mercy upon him and to our God, for he will abundantly come. What a wonderful, what a gracious one. We will abundantly have. Then we read, we read up to the temple to pray. One of the Pharisees and the other of Nazareth. The Pharisees we read prayed thus, with himself. The only one in the congregation, he prayed thus. and began to compare himself with another that was nearer. And the public in the museum sends a father, doesn't need to come now. And what does he pray? He spots himself upon the breast. indicating the cause where the trouble is, right inside, struck himself upon the breast and was God, be merciful to me. That's it. And we read that that man went down to his house, justified, rather than be merciful to me. There is a record in the Old Testament of David having sinned because of numbering the people. What was wrong in numbering the people? It was an extra discipline. It was a lack of faith. It was an indication that he was beginning to trust in big battalions instead of having his confidence in God. He seemed in numbering the people. And the justice of God in this case demanded that David shall be punished. He gets the choice of seasons. testaments or war. Now God says to David, this is the punishment, this is the judgment. You choose one of these three things, turning, testaments or war. What is there you choose? Little but it will, that before he sent you, into the hands of the Lord. I'll have heaven, or I'll have excellence, but I won't have war. Let me call, he said, into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is blessed. Let me not fall into the hands of the Lord. giving you something of the mercy of God. But you know if you want the greatest display of the mercy of God, you'll get it at the cross. In the eighty-fifth time, and thus said, you'll read these words. Mercy. and truth not mercy at the expense of truth how accurate the scriptures are mercy and truth we have told are met together that is a power righteousness and peace have kissed each other that took place at the cross and it is only on the basis of the cross work, the redeeming work of our Lord Jesus Christ, that we can come and cry for mercy. God, be merciful to me, us, Lord. The Bible knows nothing at all about forgiveness. Now God is waiting and willing and ready to extend his service to anyone and everyone in his congregation is easy. Now let us look at the same. Yes. In the same way the faithful God Thus nine, know therefore of the tenth chapter, know therefore that the Lord thy God. He is God, the faithful God which keepeth covenant and mercy, with the end of love it, and teacheth commandments to a thousand generations. The covenant keeping God. God is the faithful God. God never breaks his word. He's never known to have broken his word. He couldn't break his word. He never will break his word. He is the faithful God. Agreements and patents, as they're called today, between governments and between nations having these days proved, in many instances, to be mere scraps of paper. And not what the paper has ever written for you. But not so is God. God keeps his word. He is. the faithful rules of God. With men, policy, not piety. Policy is a ruling factor today. And there is nothing more corrupt in the world than power politics. You've got it in the States. We've got it over in Britain. We've got it in Germany. We've got it in Russia. the rottenest thing in the world today. Power, tolerance. The grievance mean nothing at all. But stature has denied them not worth the investment. But not so is God. God is the faithful God. So we read, if we believe not, If we believe not, yet we believe, he abides in faith. He will always be faithful. He cannot, we believe, deny himself. There are two things that God cannot do. One we believe. He cannot deny himself. And the other thing we believe is that God cannot lie. He cannot lie. He is the faithful God. He will ratify every pact, shall I put it that way, that he has made with the Jews, with the Gentiles, and with the Church of God. Not one jot or tittle shall have another. He is the faithful God. And the world will know it. As you know, he expects you and I to be faithful too. We read these words in the second chapter, the book of Revelation, verse seven. Be thou faithful unto death. That's not merely faithful until you die. That means more than that. Be thou faithful unto the death. Even if it means martyrdom. That's what it really means. God is calling upon people today, people, believers, the around faithful, even unto the death that we will. Are we faithful? How faithful are we, I want? Are we faithful in our worship? Will we come back with us? Will we come back again? Will we come only when we can come? Will we have over their years, with their age, with quite a lot of believers, is to come when they think they like to come. So we read the interpretation in the New Testament, not to Satan. the affinity of yourselves together as the men of our conscience, faithful in our worship. What is the story of two servants of the Lord, of the Sunday Lord Jesus in the standing outside, there were very few mid-side, and the traffic was going by, car after car, hundreds of them going by. And one of the bedrooms said to the other, Day one, we will taking them away from God. And the other shook his head. He said, now, if you've got it the wrong way for us, not we, but Guru. Guru. Any brother or any sister, willing to come, To the fellowship of God, people, not a thousand multicars will keep them away. If he wills become, is God to do whether he wills become or not. Are we loyal in our worship? Are we faithful in our worship? Are we faithful in our worship? that downside. So what? In the business, in the shop, in the factory, in the home. God is calling Christian people to be witnesses and to be faithful witnesses. And he costs something to be faithful. Not merely to be cost him, but to be faithful. Not merely to be successful. but to be faithful. God is calling us to be faithful in our lives, in our service. And in our stewardship, too. You know, one of the great efforts that the Church of God has today, men and women who are constantly, constantly, I mean, people of God can depend on That's being faithful. Be thou faithful, as it says here, unto the seer. And I was reading these words today. Yes, we suffer. And sometimes it means that if we're going to be faithful. It means that sometimes, if we suffer, we shall also win with him. And then you will read these words. If we deny him, he will also deny us. So too, he is the faithful ruler. Now look at the twenty-first verse of the tenth chapter. Thou shalt not be afraid of the Satan. For the Lord thy God is among you a mighty God and terrible. He is a mighty God and terrible. God says, don't you be afraid of it? They had everything so right. And they were real enemies too. And if you and I had been faced with all that enemy, probably you and I would be afraid too. Joe and I would be fearful too, but God said, don't you be afraid of them, don't you be frightened. For the Lord thy God is among you, a mighty one and a mighty one. It's never safe to underestimate the power of the enemy. Never do that. We have an enemy too. We have more than one enemy. the flesh and the dead, real enemies that were up against every death and every moment of the death. But these people have told that so long as God was amongst them, very had nothing to do. The time to tremble is when you meet or have to meet the enemy alone. That's the time they fell. But so long as God was amongst them, they had nothing to fear. And except in precisely so distance, in spite of the enemy that we're up against, and we are up against, do you find it so? Do you find it a struggle? Do you find it a battle? the blood, the flesh and the devil, every day, every moment of the day. But so long as God is with you, so long as the Almighty is with you, you have nothing to fear, nothing to fear. But to meet him alone, he's who's gone. He's too coming. He's too crafty. You'll never succeed me if you meet him alone. But if God is you, you could be more than a conqueror. Listen to these words. If your trust and faith is in God. And I don't know a more appropriate word for us Christian people today. No weapon. There are some terrible weapons in the making of that. And when you think of those terrible weapons, think of this world. No weapon that is formed against thee shall cross. Never meet with God's people the tremble, none of them. However dark the horizon is. However the clouds there are above. Whatever the difficulties are. Whatever the cripplings are from the enemy, no weapon that is formed against me shall cross. And then you read these words. When the enemy shall come in like a slump, the spirit of the Lord shall lift up ascended against you. You need never fear that your faith and thus is in God. Never. Whatever happens yourself in life, are in death. If your faith is in him, your faith, no weapon that is formed against me shall be tossed. We are more than conquerors through him than love this. In the epitome to the Ephesians, we read these words, We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against, notice the word against, will of against the Lord, against criticalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. And then we read, wherefore, take unto yourselves the whole arm of God. And you need it. Every part of it, we need it. Take unto yourselves the whole arm of God that he may be able to withstand in the evil day. And having them all to stand and God can make us. How has it been? Like you in your country here, we have some delightful places in the old country. The Lake District, in the north of England, is a very beautiful part of the country. It's very soft and deep. Down in the south of England, it's deadened and it crawled. Very delightful. But I spent quite a bit of my time off in the Lake District, in the north of England, with a delightful little taste called there, and do sigh, not very laugh and kiss. where the great Chetty Convention is held every Sunday. Ambleside is a place of hills, mountains, and lakes. In that little text, Ambleside is a delightful rock garden. Carrao for the rock, it's quite natural. Nothing artificial about it a dwarf. You could walk up the hillside and it's all planted with water and dwarf trees. One of the prettiest sites in Spain that you would ever see in the world. You could walk up amongst these rocks and amongst these beautiful trees and flowers. And you wind yourself right up. walking right up, then you get to the top. Then you get to the top, there's a seat that you can sit down. And when you sit there, to the right, you're looking over across at some delightful mountain, the Langeville Heights. Right in front of you is Lake Windermere. Twelve miles long. You won't get any of that in this country. miles long the length. A beautiful place. Behind you on the seat that you set in, there are some words of scripture carved into the wood. And they are most appropriate words. I will lift up my eyes unto the hill. Powerful. To read those words now, in a setting like this, I will lift up my eyes unto the hills. Contents, habit, not. But you know those words, although they're true, it's truth, it's only half the truth. It is not the truth. And half the truth are dangerous. To read the truth, the whole truth, It will be like this. I will lift up my eyes unto the hills of us. Then the question, from which cometh my help? And then the reply, my help cometh from the woods. Not from the hills, but from the woods. And your help and my help will always come from him if he wants to. asked the Savior to help you, guide and comfort and help you. He's willing to aid you. He will carry you through. He is the mighty Lord. Listen to his name for that text. Now look at chapter verse two. In verse four, he is a rock, his work is perfect, for all is made of judgment, the God of truth. Without iniquity, dust and white is me. There is no time to say much about this. I didn't know it was a graphic god. I don't know whether you had it or not, but I had it. I've just seen it in a book. Our time has gone. The God of truth. God is the God of truth. That is also the sum and substance of the Bible. And the best antidote for ever is always the truth. We have no need to defend the truth. As God said, the truth is like a lion. Let it loose and let it defend itself. No need to defend the truth. Propagate the truth. sell it up to you, and it will defend a church. The Bible in the New Testament tells us there are those who are destitute of the truth. Isn't that sad? People who are destitute of the truth. And we're told that there are those who seek to undermine the truth by preaching terrible, false doctrine. And there are those who are denied the truth by those who are paid for it and that is to be. Isn't that terrible? That is true. That the prophecy in professing Christendom is the rejection of the revealed truth of God, although still maintaining a form of religion. That's apostasy. An apostasy is under the judgment of God. And if he has, he will. God gives the truth about himself, we have no time to be here. He gives the truth about himself. He gives the truth about us. He gives the truth about sin. He gives the truth about life. He gives the truth about death. He gives the truth about the past. and the present and the future. He shall know the truth, it says, and the truth shall make you free. God has made the truth a venerable. You can have it. You can know it. If you want to do it. If you want. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth and the life. No man coming unto the Father but so we are encouraged to see him that by the grace of God he has brought us to know the truth and to believe in the truth and I trust to love the truth and to walk in the truth and rejoice in the truth. and preach the truth. What a responsibility you have as Christians. A tremendous responsibility. And you know, your privileges and my privileges always carry with them this tremendous responsibility. If you have been brought into the good of this, Then God will hold you responsible to tell others about it and to live it out in the world round about it. Let us pray. O God, our Father, may we thank thee for the miracle of marriage that thou shalt ever thought upon us and walk us through thyself. Behold, the good manner of love, the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God. O God, our Father, have mercy on us we pray thee, if we are disloyal, if we are unfaithful. We pray, O God, in this service, this now. To deal with every one of us. We are before thee as thy people. Thou hast done great things for us. Thereof we are there. For now, Lord, we want to give thee the best of our lives. We want to give thee equity. Take us, we pray. Take my life. And let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee. Take my hope. And my days let them flow in ceaseless Christ. Bless me, pray that thy truth to every one of us, and send us out into the world. It was God's world. It was unbelieving world. It was an apostate world. Send us out, O God, to be living witnesses, to thy saving grace, and to thy teaching power. This we ask, in the name and for the sake of our Savior, who loved us and gave himself upon us the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. but all good and rich.