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[0:00] Well friends, will you turn with me just for short time to the chapter we read together, the 21st chapter of Genesis. And in verse 17, we have those words.

[0:17] And God heard the voice of the lads. And the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? Fear not, for God hath heard the voice of the lads where he is.

[0:38] I'd like to try to speak to those words. God called to Hagar out of heaven and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? Fear not.

[0:54] I'm very sure that when we read this experience, this story of Hagar, that to a large extent, we must feel tremendous sympathy for her and for the sore and trying experience that she had.

[1:19] She suffered not simply the consequences of her own folly, but she was a victim of jealousy, of the jealousy of Sera.

[1:35] We cannot but feel sorry for her as we see how because of jealousy, she was thrust out of her home into the wilderness without any resources, with a little baby, a little child to look after.

[2:01] After. It seems astonishing to us when you think that in those days the way things happened, Abraham was the father of this child, and yet the jealousy that entered when later on Sera managed to have a child and just to thrust out this woman from her home, from where she's well, with a little infant.

[2:31] And all she had, as we read here, was a bottle of water and a small portion to eat.

[2:43] We read that here. Wait till I get it. And Abraham rose up there in the morning and took bread and a bottle of water and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder and the child and sent it away and she departed and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.

[3:06] Let us know this first of all. Here is a poor soul and when we see her, she is what? She is wandering in the wilderness.

[3:19] Nowhere to go. No direction what to follow. A poor soul wandering in the wilderness.

[3:34] My dear friends, at all at this point we think how desperately sad that was. Just as you think of it, if some of you here had a relative or someone near with a little child and you thrust them out of your home and gave them a bottle of water and a little parcel of bread, how would you feel?

[4:03] Here is a poor soul wandering without direction. Now let us leave it for a moment.

[4:18] I wonder how many people in this church today are on the road of life wandering.

[4:32] No direction. No destination in front of them. Oh, you are different from Hagar. You are not in life with a bottle of water and a little parcel of bread.

[4:45] But the multitudes of old people today who are still wandering aimlessly through life. No sense of direction.

[5:02] You all know probably well what the word of God says. He says there is a narrow way that leads to life eternal. There is a broad way that leads to a lost eternity.

[5:18] and I want every one of us in this church this morning where you set to ask yourself and answer the question honestly which direction are you traveling?

[5:37] traveling? Have you got your faith in the right way? Do you know the direction you're traveling in? Or like poor Hagar are you wandering aimlessly along the road of life?

[5:57] and the second thing I want you to notice is here is a woman not only without direction but here is a woman without hope verse 15 and the water was spent in the bottle and she cast the child under one of the shrubs a woman without hope what future lay for her she couldn't bear to see the death of the child so she put him under a bush she had resources a woman without hope nothing to look forward to could I ask every one of us here oh yes you've got material resources maybe more material resources than you ever had in your life before my dear friends what hope have you for the eternity that lies ahead of you what are you facing none of us know but there's one thing that every converted person in this church can say today

[7:20] I've got a hope that's resting on a sure foundation and what is that foundation none perish and trust in Christ what is your hope for eternity what is your hope if death were to meet you today tomorrow next week have you the blessed hope of life everlasting hear this poor woman without direction without hope and notice something further a very simple thing a woman without resources a little bottle a little part of her breath that's all the resources she had what about you what about me what resources have we you know when the word of God says

[8:30] I'm perfectly sure you all do what shall the prophet of money begin the whole world you may have many material resources you may have bigger bank books than you ever had you may have a bigger salary a bigger wage what spiritual resources have you for life I discover friends that in my ministry over the many years that sometimes if you can tell of some simple but true thing that happened it can be helpful many years ago in Muiraboard I got a phone call one day from a certain lady and she said something like this Mr. Nicholson she said I apologize for phoning you but you know my father's in

[9:34] Ragu more and this little prospect is near the end we understand now she said I know we were supposed to be free church but she said we never went she said I don't think since a child I was in the church ten times my mother's dad you know many years ago I know we've got no ride but I wonder if you go and see my father please I'll cut it short I went to see him I knew him I'd called quite a few times in his home without any possible success anyhow I went to see him and after a little while just had a little word of prayer I was so concerned about it that there were other people praying about the same time that I went three times that week and the third time I was there when I finished the brief prayer

[10:43] I opened my eyes and I saw the tears coming down his eyes I wasn't very sure what he'd say but all I said was Colin I said call him his first name I see you're upset could you unburden yourself could you tell me how you feel Mr. Nicholson he said I know I've been a fool all my life I know that I haven't longed to live but I feel regret remorse well in hell I'll cut it short I tried to as simple as I could to tell him about the gospel how the Jesus Christ died on that cross I pointed out the dying thief at the last moment and I said Colin there's still hope well anyhow I went to see him the very next day and the funny thing was this I'll cut all this brief he said to me you know you may find it difficult to believe but and I finding it so difficult at times kind of possible

[11:53] I know but I do believe that God has had mercy and that through Jesus Christ my sin will be forgiven he said I know but I believe it but he said to me Mr. Nicholson he said will you give me a promise and I said yes Colin if I can he said when you go back don't leave the like of me and people like me and you are bored alone go after them keep after them please keep after them you see my dear friends unless you and I are travelling in the right direction unless we have the spiritual resources to face what lies before us what hope is there for us no comfort nor the soul had poor Hagar in that wilderness

[12:58] Germany her little child dying with thirst and hunger she had no comfort no one there that's not the experience of God's people if you have Jesus Christ as your saviour you can say and say with truth words that every one of us have known from our earliest day yea though I walk in death that will yet will I fear none of you for thou art with me now what a wonderful thing in life it is to travel along the road of life knowing that we have someone with us a friend who'll never leave us a friend who'll never never forsake us my God will supply all your need out of the riches of his grace can every one of us my message is very simple but I want everyone for you to ask are you alone on the road of life today have you the presence of the saviour with you do you know that no matter what lies before you he'll never leave you he'll never forsake you now our time is gone

[14:39] I'd be very appreciative of you bear with me a moment we've been looking at this woman we saw she was a soul without direction she was a person without resources she was a person without hope she's a person without comfort she had no one with her and then what happened God stepped in look at verse 17 and God heard the voice of the lad and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven and said unto her what aileth thee Hagar fear not the first word she got was a word of encouragement fear not fear not now we never know in a congregation of this size for some of our brethren here may be going through there may be some of you facing experiences there may be some of you facing difficulties there may be some of you carrying worries or burdens that no one else knows about but all I can say to you brother here's God's word a word of encouragement fear not no matter what your problem is no matter what your difficulty is no matter what your worry is no matter what your anxiety is a word of encouragement from God fear not and if we can leave this building today laying hold of that word of encouragement our service will be well worth while and the second thing I want you to notice is this she was given not only a word of encouragement but look at verse 18 arise lift up the lad and hold him in thy hand for I will make him a great nation she was given a wonderful promise when she laid the child under that bush she thought the child would die and here

[16:57] God steps in I will make him a great nation what a marvelous what a wonderful promise and God never fails in his promises my dear friends listen we could stand in this pulpit for long enough going through the great and marvelous and wonderful promises of God's word but all I'm going to say to you that God offers us those promises they never fail can I again by mentioning something personal I do it because I often feel ill-used traits or emphasize points that I'm trying to make there was a certain man again a young fellow I'll be very brief many years ago he's now an elder in the free church but he came to me that night told me it was the fifth time he had come to the man's and turned away every time but he had forced himself to come that night and he told me his problem and I can tell you this it was a desperate difficult problem he said

[18:22] I know he came to church regular he said I know what you say and what I hear in the pulpit is true that no matter how much we've sinned or how terrible we've sinned that God can forgive us because of what Jesus Christ did in that cross I believe that Mr.

[18:42] Nicholson but let me say this to you if all every sin I committed was forgiven me if tonight I got from God that all my sins were forgiven that's not my problem it's the difficulty that lies before me the problem that lies before me and he told me what it was and believe me it was and I said to him look I said I tell you this that no matter what you have done Jesus Christ can forgive you and I tell you this that you've got a real difficulty in front of you you've got a problem I've not got the answer for it except one thing and he looked to me said what's that I said I know God will work out and then it was a strange thing there came at that moment before my mind what when the children of

[19:45] Israel left the land of Egypt do you remember they were pursued by the Egyptians how in all the world could they get away from the Egyptians and what happened the Egyptians were drowned in the Red Sea how you and I got away from our past God cast our sins into the sea of his forgetfulness but notice think of the children of Israel can you imagine when they heard the Egyptians were pursuing them can you imagine someone shouting let us push on and we may get away from them and I can imagine one of them turning around how can we we're shutting the Red Seas in front of us what hope have we now what happened God opened a wonderful way through the Red Sea do you remember and where did that way lead them to the land of Canaan it led them to the land of promise and all

[20:47] I could say to that young man was this I don't know I realize your difficulty but all I tell you this that God will open the way and positive and you know the way where he'll land you into the land of promise and what a wonderful and marvellous and great thing it is brethren to step out into life laying hold of those precious promises of God we're just about finished Hagar was given encouragement fear not she was given a gracious promise and all I'm going to say if there's any brother or sister here and they don't know at this moment the reality of what being said here is a precious promise that who so ever cometh me

[21:54] I will in no wise cast out that's his promise and our final thing is this she was given encouragement she was given promise and look at verse 19 and God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water she was given vision God opened her eyes listen she was in the wilderness she was going to die of thirst all she had was a little bottle and the bottle was finished and isn't it amazing that there was our well of water in that wilderness that she never saw and

[22:55] God opened her eyes my dear friends it may be that there are some of us here today and we may be saying well there are people in the church I know and they told me this of their experience but I'm blinded I can't see well listen God opened her eyes and if you sit in this pew and you are one of those who have never yet been able to see the amazing marvelous wonderful love of Christ on that cross when he took our sin the wages of sin is death wages are what we earn and he took our wages and he shed his precious blood on that cross and all I'm going to say is this the

[23:55] Lord opened our eyes may God open our eyes at what shall we see I was born and brought up in a Christian home I had a knowledge of the Bible and Sunday school and family worship all my life but when I was about 17 or 18 I began to rebel until when the mercy of God he opened my eyes I could write as we did the Aces of Welfare and all about the Bible but it was meaningless to me until I felt my sin and the Bible said behold the Lamb of God and on that cross I saw Jesus Christ taking my wages my sin dying in my room instead sharing his precious blood and you know what I always remember that simple but lovely little hymn there is a fountain filled with blood drawn from

[25:05] Emmanuel's beans and sinners clums beneath that stream lose all their guilty stains the dying thief rejoice to see that fountain in his day and there may I as vile as he wash all my sins away the Lord opened our eyes as he saw the provision may God open our eyes to see the provision that he has made for you and me for now and for eternity that lies ahead shall we pray oh Lord our God we just earnestly pray that by the power of thy Holy Spirit that our eyes may be opened that we may see the provision that

[26:11]  God has made that we may be able to lay hold of that very precious promise that we may know that no longer shall we wander in a desert place bless us for Jesus sake amen