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The Thoughts of God

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• The title of the message is, "The Thoughts of God." Psalm 40, beginning with verse 1: "I waited patiently for the Lord, and He inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God. Many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord. Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. Many, O Lord my God, are Thy wonderful works which Thou hast done, and Thy thoughts which are to us-ward, they cannot be reckoned up in order unto Thee.

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• If I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered." The title of this message conveys an almost incomprehensible concept: the thoughts of God. We must understand, according to John 4:24, that God is Spirit. But although God is Spirit, He is also a person. Scripture reveals that God has all of the attributes of personhood. He speaks. He plans. He acts. He moves. He intends. He has names. He enters into relationships.

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• He has will and He has wisdom. God chose to describe Himself, or to reveal Himself, in terms that associate with personality. For instance, when you read the Bible, you'll find that there are personal pronouns that refer to God, such as He, Him, Himself, and His. As a person, He possesses what is known as self-consciousness. He's certainly aware of His being. And He also possesses the power of self-determination. That's why we read in the Bible about His will and His purpose and His eternal counsel. Let me just give you two scriptures, and I want you to listen because each of these passages deal with one of these attributes of personality. Romans 11:33: "O the depths of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!" So the Bible speaks of God's wisdom and God's knowledge. And then in Ephesians 1:11: "In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His will."

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• So here is God's wisdom, God's knowledge, and God's will. So God is a person, and yet God is also pure spirit. I don't know if you've ever noticed this as you read the Bible: there is no definition of God in the Bible, and there is a good reason for that, because to define is to limit, and God is infinite. You cannot limit the Unlimitable. Our Lord said to the Samaritan woman in John 4, "God is spirit." So this means that essentially He is spirit, and all of the qualities that are associated with the idea of a pure spirit are necessarily found in God. Now, the very fact that God is spirit necessarily excludes the idea that He has a body of some type, and it also excludes the idea that God is visible to the physical eye. And people try to say, "Well, I saw God." No, you did not see God, because God is pure Spirit. Now, the fact that God is Spirit involves His personality. So God as Spirit is an intelligent and moral being, and when we ascribe personality to God, we mean that He is a reasonable being, capable of determining the course of His life. When anyone denies the personality of God, then God is reduced to

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• what you and I would call force and power—just a mere force or mere power. Now, I am not a science fiction fan, and I never went to see either of the Star Wars movies, but I did hear or read where they would say, "May the force be with you." Well, when you deny the personality of God, all you're left with is a force or simply power. But the Bible refers to God as a personal being. He is someone in whom men can trust, and He is someone with whom we may converse. He is someone who enters into our experiences with us. He is someone who helps us in all of our difficulties. And He is someone who fills our hearts with joy and gladness. So God is a person.

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• And the one true and the living God has revealed Himself in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now I want to read to you how the Philadelphia Baptist Confession declares the person of God. You would also find this in the Westminster Confession of Faith. They both will say exactly the same. And I'm not going to read all the scriptures, but I want you to listen, because anytime you read a statement out of a confession of faith, usually there are scriptures that will back up everything that is said. And so here is what the Philadelphia Baptist Confession of Faith says concerning God: "The Lord our God is but one only living and true God, whose subsistence is in and of Himself, infinite in being and perfection, whose essence cannot be comprehended by any but Himself, a most pure spirit, invisible, without body, parts, or passions, who only has immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can

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• approach unto, who is immutable, immense, eternal, incomprehensible, Almighty, in every way infinite, most holy, most wise, most free, most absolute, working all things according to the counsel of His own immutable and most righteous will, for His own glory, most loving, gracious, merciful, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin, and the rewarder of those that diligently seek Him, and withal most just and terrible in His judgments, hating all sin, and who will by no means clear the guilty." So that is a summary of what is revealed concerning God in the Bible. We understand that God is spirit. Two things we've learned so far: God is spirit, and that God is a person. When you endeavor to comprehend the personhood of God, you also have to understand anthropomorphisms.

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• Scripture is filled with anthropomorphic language. You can say, "How the world can understand it? I can't even pronounce it." Well, I usually tell people every fifty-cent word can be broken down into nickel words. Anthropomorphic: anthropos, the Greek word for man. There is another word, aner, which means man and man only. But anthropos is just a general term which would be men and women, etc. But anthropos is the Greek word for man. Morphe is the Greek word for form. So anthropomorphic speaking just simply means "man-form speaking," that's all. And what God has done is this: God has condescended to speak to us in language that we can understand. If God did not speak in our lingo, so to speak, we would never comprehend anything about Him. So anytime you read in the Bible where God has a body or bodily parts, those are anthropomorphic expressions.

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• For instance, in Psalm 34:15, the Bible says this: "The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears are open unto their cry." Now, if God is spirit, God does not need eyes and God does not have ears. Then you read in Proverbs 15:3, "The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good." And then you come across a passage like Deuteronomy 26:8, where the Bible says, "And the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs and with wonders." Well, God does not have a hand and God does not have an arm. So anytime you read a passage like that, those must be understood anthropomorphically. God is speaking in our language. So a spirit does not need eyes. And when the Bible speaks about God's eyes or God's ears, it's referring then to His omniscience, where God sees all, knows all, understands all. When you read about God's hand or God's arm, it's just simply referring to God's power.

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• So God is a spirit, and yet God is a person. Now I want you to look in verse 5, because in our text that I'm going to be explaining today, we're going to see one of the great attributes of God's personhood. Look in Psalm 40 and verse 5. Psalm 40 and verse 5—and I forgot to match this. Psalm 40 and verse 5. Notice if you would, the Bible says, "Many, O Lord my God, are Thy wonderful works which Thou hast done, and Thy thoughts which are to us-ward.

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• They cannot be reckoned up in order unto Thee. If I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered."

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• Now, I want you to note the first half of this verse. In the beginning, he talks about God's works. "Many, O Lord my God, are Thy wonderful works which Thou hast done." So God's works are innumerable. They are uncountable. When we talk about the works of God, we normally divide them into three simple classes: creation, providence, and redemption. But when you think about creation, you have a huge category. Providence, huge categories, and also redemption as well. And although we summarize the works of God as creation, providence, and redemption, there are a multitude of other works that are included under those three categories. I want you to look in your Bibles to Psalm 111. Psalm 111. And notice if you would, verse 2. Psalm 111 and verse 2: "The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein." The works of the Lord, which would include everything in creation, everything in providence, and everything in redemption. If you would look in Psalm 145 and verse 9—

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• and verses 9 and 10, notice if you would what the Scripture says. Psalm 145 verse 9: "The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works. All Thy works shall praise Thee, O Lord, and Thy saints shall bless Thee." So when you think about the works of God, just stop and think how God feeds all of the animals. I've often thought about George Soros and all of his money would be expended in one day if he tried to feed all the animals in the world, and yet God does it constantly and continually, besides feeding us as well. So when you talk about God's works, they are multitudinous.

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• Now, it is not the first part of this verse that I want to deal with, but the latter part of the verse. So, notice if you would Psalm 40 and verse 5, and let's look at the latter part. He says, "Many, O Lord my God, are Thy wonderful works which Thou hast done, and Thy thoughts which are to us-ward. They cannot be reckoned up in order unto Thee.

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• If I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered." Now, we've already discussed the fact that God is a person, and that attributes of personality are attributed to God. And one of those attributes is He thinks. He has thoughts. Please note, if you would, in verse 5, what David says. He says, "And Thy thoughts which are to us-ward, they cannot be reckoned up in order unto Thee. If I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered." David is saying that the thoughts of God cannot be reckoned up in order unto Him. And in other words, David is saying, "I cannot marshal them. I cannot align them. I cannot arrange them.

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• They are so diverse and so multitudinous." Moreover, David goes on to say that they cannot be numbered. It is impossible to number all the grains of sand in the oceans all over the world—humanly impossible. It's humanly impossible to number all the leaves of the trees. It's also humanly impossible for you to number all of the stars. David is saying it's also humanly impossible for me to number the thoughts of God.

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• Now, here's the whole point of this message, and I want to drive it home. Look at verse 5, the latter part. He said, "And Thy thoughts which are to us-ward." Has it ever crossed your mind that God thinks about us? Have you ever entertained the thought that God thinks about you? You specifically, you individually. Have you ever contemplated the fact that the sovereign God of heaven and earth condescends to think about you? Of all the millions and billions of people that are on this earth, God still thinks of us personally and individually. So I want that to sink in. God thinks about you individually. God is not just simply concerned with upholding the universe by His power, which He does. God is not concerned with just ordering His providence and feeding all the animals, which He does. But God is also concerned about us as individuals, and His thoughts are to us-ward. I want you to hold Psalm 40 and turn in your Bible to Psalm 113. Psalm 113. There's only nine verses in this Psalm, and I want to read them and to show you, I trust, a truth that will bless you.

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• Notice if you would please Psalm 113, and let's begin reading with verse 1: "Praise ye the Lord. Praise, O ye servants of the Lord. Praise the name of the Lord. Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forevermore. From the rising of the sun until the going down of the same, the Lord's name is to be praised." Now watch verse 4: "The Lord is high above all nations, and His glory above the heavens.

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• So God is the sovereign, omnipotent God of the universe. He's over all of the nations. His glory is above the heavens. Now watch verse 5: "Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high, who humbleth Himself to behold the things that are in heaven and in the earth! He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the needy out of the dunghill, that He may set him with princes, even with the princes of His people. He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the Lord." Now go back to verse 5: "Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high?" Note this next verse: "Who humbleth Himself to behold the things that are in heaven and in the earth." Here's the marvelous condescension of God, who is ever blessed in and of Himself, who needs no one, who needs absolutely nothing. And yet He humbles Himself, beholds the things not only in the heavens but also in the earth. And let me be a little more specific: if you'll look in verse 7, "He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, He lifteth up the needy out of the dunghill." Verse 9, "He maketh

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• the barren woman to keep house and to be a joyful mother of children." In other words, God not just simply beholds—He does that—but He also intervenes in our lives. He knows each one of us and our needs. Years ago I preached a message from Psalm 113 which I entitled, "The Humility of God." You know, you could think about it like this: just think of all the people that are alive just today in the entire world. And yet God thinks about us individually. God thinks about David. God thinks about Lorraine. He thinks about Effie. To me, that is just absolutely mind-boggling. I want you to hold Psalm 40, but turn in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 6, and I want you to see the words of our Lord in reference to the thoughts of God. Look in Matthew chapter 6 and verses 7 and 8 to begin with. Matthew chapter 6 verses 7 and 8: Our Lord says, "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

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• Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask Him." Now, wait a minute. "For your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask Him." It is true that God is sovereign. It is true that God is omniscient, but if He knows our needs, He has to be thinking of us individually and says, "Yes, Gary needs this by tomorrow, and Steve needs this by next week." And if you'll skip down to verse 31, again, He says it like this: "Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat?

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• Or, What shall we drink? Or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things."

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• Now, if God knows that we have needs, it's not only because He knows us, but because He thinks of us as well. Do you remember what the Apostle Paul said in Philippians 4:19? He said, "But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." How can Paul say that? Because Paul understood that God not only knows us, but He thinks about us.

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• To me, that's an awesome thought—that God thinks about us. If you'll look back in your Bibles to Psalm 40 and verse 5, look at the latter part again. Psalm 40 verse 5: He says, "And Thy thoughts which are to us-ward, they cannot be reckoned up in order unto Thee. If I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered." Of course, the first part of the verse talks about the works of God. Now I want you to listen to this quote by Charles Haddon Spurgeon based on verse 5. Spurgeon said: "The divine thoughts march with the divine acts, for it is not according to God's wisdom to act without deliberation and counsel. All the divine thoughts are good and gracious towards His elect. God's thoughts of love are very many, very wonderful, and very practical.

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• Muse on them, dear reader. No sweeter subject ever occupied your mind. God's thoughts of you are many; let not yours be few in return. They cannot be reckoned up in order unto Thee. Their sum is so great as to forbid a like analysis and numeration. Human minds fail to measure or to arrange in order the Lord's ways and thoughts, and it must always be so, for He has said, 'As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts higher than your thoughts.' No maze to lose oneself in like the labyrinth of love.

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• How sweet to be outdone, overcome, and overwhelmed by the astonishing grace of the Lord our God! 'If I would declare and speak of them'—and surely this should be the occupation of my tongue at all seasonable opportunities—'they are more than can be numbered,' far beyond all human arithmetic. They are multiplied thoughts from all eternity: thoughts of my fall, my restoration, my redemption, my conversion, my pardon, my upholding, my perfecting, my eternal reward. The list is too long for writing, and the value of the mercies too great for estimation. Yet if we cannot show forth all the works of the Lord, let us not make this an excuse for silence, for our Lord, who is our best example, often spake of the tender thoughts of the great Father." Wow. Now I want to show you something.

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• We're back in Psalm 40, and to me again, this is amazing, this is absolutely astounding. If you look in verse 5, the latter part, he says, "And Thy thoughts which are to us-ward, they cannot be reckoned up in order unto Thee. If I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered." Now just to show you that God thinks of us individually, I want you to look at verse 17. Look what David said. Psalm 40 verse 17:

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• "But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me. Thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God." "I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me." Albert Barnes in his commentary said this: "The Lord cares for me; He has not forgotten me. Man forsakes me, but He will not. Man leaves me to poverty and sorrow, but He will not. How true this was of the Redeemer, that the Lord, the Father of mercies, thought on Him, that it is

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• not needful now to say, nor can it be doubted, that in the heavy sorrows of His life, this was a source of habitual consolation. To others also, to all His friends, this is a source of unspeakable comfort—to be an object of the thoughts of God, to be had in His mind, to be constantly in His remembrance, to be certain that He will not forsake us in our trouble, to be assured in our own minds that One so great as God, the infinite and eternal One, will never cease to think on us, may well sustain us in all the trials of life. It matters little who does forsake us if He does not. It would be to little advantage to us who should think of us if He did not."

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• So what is he saying? One of the greatest comforts for the child of God in all of our tests, in all of our trials, in all of our tribulations is that God thinks upon us. He knows everything about us. I want you to look in Psalm 27 at verse 10. Look what David said there. Psalm 27 and verse 10. Psalm 27 verse 10: "When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up." Huh. Does God know when our father and our mother forsake us?

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• Well, of course He's sovereign. Of course He's omniscient. He knows everything. But the point being what David is saying is, "The Lord thinketh upon me. He knows my state. He sees everything about me." Has it ever dawned upon you that God thinks about you and every aspect of your life? If you will turn in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews chapter 6, look at this verse in light of what I've been teaching. Hebrews chapter 6, and notice if you would please verse 10. I've quoted this verse before, but look at it in light of God's thoughts. Hebrews 6 verse 10: "For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which ye have showed toward His name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister." Now look at that: "For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love." He saw it. He thought about it. He remembers it. He holds it in His mind. He is not going to forget your work and your labor of love which ye have showed toward His name, in that ye have ministered to the saints and do minister. In other words, God thinks about how we serve Him. God holds that in His mind. And there's a

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• passage in the book of Nehemiah where Nehemiah has a prayer request, and I dare say it is an unusual request in one sense of the word. It is probably a prayer request that none in this room has ever prayed. You remember Nehemiah was the man who built the wall around Jerusalem, and he was the Tirshatha, that is the governor, for 12 years. He not only built the wall, but he had to deal with those recalcitrant, rebellious individuals there.

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• And he faithfully served God, and he faithfully served the people. And in Nehemiah 5:19, here was his prayer request: "Think upon me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people." So here it is. Have you ever asked God to think upon you? Have you ever asked God to think upon you for your good? And have you ever asked God to think upon you for your good according to all that which you have done for His people? That's what Nehemiah did. "Lord, think upon me for good. I've served You." He's not bargaining with God. He's just saying, "Lord, You take note and You think upon me and help me. I need Your help." Now, it is true, very true, that God does indeed think about His people.

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• I want you to look in your Bibles to Psalm 105. Psalm 105, and let's begin reading there in verse 13. Psalm 105 and verse 13. Look what the Scripture says. In fact, let's go back and begin reading at verse 11. Okay, that way you can see the context that we're talking about Israel. Okay? Psalm 105 verse 11: "Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance: when they were but a few men in number; yea, very few, and strangers in it.

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• When they went from one nation to another, from one kingdom to another people; He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, He reproved kings for their sakes; saying, Touch not Mine anointed, and do My prophets no harm." You remember how He reproved Abimelech because of Abram's wife, Sarah. He also rebuked people because of Joseph. Just simply pointing out God does indeed think upon His people.

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• And may I remind you that in the book of Zechariah chapter 2 and verse 8, He said this: "He that toucheth you toucheth the apple of My eye," and the apple is the pupil, the most tender spot in the eye. So, in light of this, I want you to turn to Luke chapter 17 and look at verses 1 and 2. In light of this, I'm going to tell you what I believe one of the greatest sins happens to be, and maybe even one of the worst sins. The very fact that God thinks upon His people and considers whoever touches them touches the apple of His eye—I believe that one of the greatest sins and one of the worst sins for an individual, whether that individual is a heathen or a Christian, doesn't matter, is to attack and seek to destroy one of God's children. Look what He said in Luke 17 verse 1: "Then said He unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offenses will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come! It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should

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• offend one of these little ones." And to show He's not just talking about babies, He says, "Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him." Now, if simply offending or causing one to stumble is considered a great sin—such a sin that one would rather desire to have a millstone around his neck and be cast into the depth of the sea—what in the world would be the consequences for someone who attacked and tried to destroy the character and life of one of His children? Stop and think about that. To offend means to cause someone to stumble. Everyone, stop to think about this.

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• that oftentimes Christians needlessly and wickedly attack each other. It's kind of like the chickens: you let one chicken get a little blood spot on him, and the other chickens will come around and peck him and peck him and peck him until they kill him. One of my friends said something years ago that I've never forgotten. The quote was this: "Christians are the only group that try to kill the walking wounded."

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• Somebody gets down, instead of trying to lift them up, it seems like we attack them worse and worse. What's the Bible say in Galatians 6? "If a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted." Let me go a little bit further. If our Lord, the sovereign God of heaven and earth, considers it such a sin and offense to attack one of His adopted children, what do you think the Heavenly Father thinks about someone who attacks His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ? So I'm just simply saying the very fact that God thinks about us has tremendous implications. If you'll go back to Psalm 40 again, I want you to look at the middle of that verse. Psalm 40 and look in verse 5.

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• He says it again: "And Thy thoughts which are to us-ward, they cannot be reckoned up in order unto Thee. If I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered." God's thoughts toward us are personal thoughts. God thinks about us personally. Moreover, they are frequent and multitudinous. They are consistent and constant thoughts, and they're thoughts based upon His wisdom, His love, His mercy, and His grace. Now let me try to give you a good illustration. I want you to look in your Bibles to Jeremiah chapter 29. Jeremiah 29. We're going to be reading about how Judah is to

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• come back into their own land after the 70-year captivity, okay? So in Jeremiah 29, beginning there with verse 10, just to show you that we're talking about the 70-year captivity in Babylon. Jeremiah 29 verse 10: "For thus saith the Lord, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform My good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place." Then look what God says: "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." Isn't that amazing? "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." Even though God judged those people and sent them into captivity, God says, "I still think about you, and I'm going to restore you, and My thoughts are thoughts of peace and not of evil." John Gill, the Baptist commentator, said this on Jeremiah 29:11: "...the purposes and resolutions of His heart concerning their welfare, particularly the restoration of them to their own land, these were within Him, and known to Him, and to Him only.

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• They were remembered by Him, and continued with Him, and the thoughts of His heart are to all generations, and so would not fail of being performed. Men think and forget what they thought of, and so it comes to nothing. But this is not with God. He has taken up many thoughts in a way of love, grace, and mercy concerning sinful men about their election in Christ, a provision of all spiritual blessings for them, and redemption and salvation by Christ, their effectual calling, adoption, and eternal life." Isn't that amazing? God says, "I know the thoughts that I think toward you, thoughts of peace and not of evil. I'm going to give you an expected end." And I can think of something which we have done so many times, and we're going to say to ourselves, "I'm going to do that." And the next thing you know, four or five hours later, or the next day, or the next week, "I never did that." You thought about it, but you forgot it. God doesn't do that. God remembers, and God does not forget. Psalm 33:11: "The counsel of the Lord standeth forever, the thoughts of His heart to all generations." Andrew Bonar said this, and he's commenting on Psalm 40 verse 5: "And

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• Thy thoughts which are to us-ward." He said this: "'Many, O Lord'—read this verse and meditate on what He who is the Word suggests: God's thoughts toward us, the unnumbered multitude of His thoughts of love to us. The forests with their countless leaves, the grass on every plain and mountain of earth with its numberless blades, the sands on every shore of every river and ocean, the waves of every sea and the drops of every wave of every sea, the stars of heaven—none of these, nor all combined, could afford an adequate idea of His thoughts toward us. There is no comparison to thee. Nothing wherewith to help out a statement of the depth of love in every one of these thoughts." So, Andrew Bonar is saying, it's impossible for you and I to even comprehend the thoughts of God toward us.

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• Do you realize if we understood this concept, and if we really grasped this truth, depression would vanish? You would not be discouraged to think that the Eternal Sovereign God of Heaven and Earth thinks upon us individuals. Now let me make some applications. Here's the first one: we now know that God thinks about us. The question is, what are our thoughts of God? When we think of God, do we think thoughts of love, obedience, submission, service, thankfulness, gratitude? Do we consider and think and meditate on the thoughts of God to us? Do we value them? Do we treasure them? Let me show you. Look in your Bibles to Psalm 139. Psalm 139 and verses 17 and 18. I want you to see this. Psalm 139 verses 17 and 18: Look what David says: "How precious also are Thy thoughts unto me, O God!

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• How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with Thee." Notice what he says: "How precious also are Thy thoughts unto me, O God." That is, "I count Your thoughts of me precious, valuable." Wow. So how do we count the thoughts of God in our lives? Do we count them as precious? And what are our thoughts toward God? Here's the second one: the less we think of ourselves, the more God will think of us.

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• Now, let me say that again. The less we think of ourselves, the more God will think of us.

  #46 | 48:35 to 48:39 | cleaned

• Now, how can I make such a statement? And the answer is, I can make it based on 1 Peter 5, verses 5-7, if you want to turn there, and just look and see what God says. 1 Peter 5, verses 5-7. 1 Peter 5, notice if you would please, beginning there with verse 5. Look what he says. I just made the statement, "The less we think of ourselves, the more God will think upon us." 1 Peter 5 verse 5: "Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time: casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you." So, the less we think of ourselves, the more God's going to think about us. The less we think of ourselves, the more dependent we will be upon Him.

  #47 | 48:41 to 50:00 | cleaned

• If I remember correctly, in John chapter 15, our Lord said it like this: "Without Me ye can do" how much? Nothing. Nothing. And if we realize our helplessness and our powerlessness, we have to depend upon Him. And it would teach us to cast all our care upon Him. Why? "For He careth for you." Isn't that interesting? "He careth for you," which indicates He's thinking about us. He cares about us. Wow. Every problem God cares about.

  #48 | 50:01 to 50:49 | cleaned

• The more we think of Him, the more we'll put our trust in Him. The less we think of ourselves, the more we're unable to trust in ourselves. Here's the third one: we may glory in the fact the sovereign God of heaven and earth will not forget us. He will think about us. He will think upon us. I want you to turn to two passages. I want you to turn to Isaiah 49 verse 15.

  #49 | 50:53 to 51:40 | cleaned

• You probably do not know that passage. The second one is Hebrews 13 verses 5 and 6. Just mark that passage, Hebrews 13 verses 5 and 6. We'll come back to that passage second. But go in your Bibles to Isaiah 49 and look in verse 15. Isaiah 49 verse 15. Watch carefully. Isaiah 49 verse 15: God asks, and it's a good question. "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb?" Well, most women can't forget their own child.

  #50 | 51:40 to 52:30 | cleaned

• Some can because of their sin and rebellion. Yea! Here's what God says: "They may forget, yet will I not forget thee." God's not going to forget us. Mother contrary to nature may forget her own child, but God says, "I won't do that. I will never forget you." Then if you'll look in Hebrews 13 verses 5 and 6, here we read this: "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper,

  #51 | 52:31 to 53:33 | cleaned

• and I will not fear what man shall do unto me." In every circumstance, in every situation, every test and every trial and every tribulation, God is not going to forget us. He thinks about us. He thinks upon us. He observes us. He knows our needs. He knows what we can take and what we cannot take. One of my favorite passages is 1 Corinthians 10:13, where God says, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man." The words: whatever affects Steve affects me, whatever affects me affects James, whatever affects James affects Gary. "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able." God will never ever put on us more than we can bear. And then He says, "but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." He thinks upon us. He knows us.

  #52 | 53:35 to 54:59 | cleaned

• And David said it like this: "And Thy thoughts which are to us-ward, they cannot be reckoned up in order unto Thee. If I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered." I want you to contemplate on one simple truth when you leave today, and that's this: that God thinks of you and your needs and your problems and your trials and your tests because He's a personal God. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ we bow to Thee. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for the thoughts of God. And we're thankful, Lord, that Thou dost not forget. We commit all of our tests, trials, and problems unto Thee. Lord, only You can work them out. For Lord, we are helpless and powerless. But Lord, all things are possible in Thee and with Thee and through Thee. As David said, "Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man." Encourage us, Lord, and help us to have wonderful thoughts of Thee, because Thou dost think of us.

  #53 | 55:01 to 56:40 | cleaned

• May we glory in the fact that You will not forget us. In the name of Jesus Christ we ask and pray. Amen.

  #54 | 56:41 to 56:50 | cleaned

• so

  #55 | 57:20 to 57:20 | cleaned

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-04T18:04:03Z