Guided and received into glory

Psalm 23 verse 24. Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel and afterward receive me to glory. The middle word there, afterward, you and I have an afterwards.

The afterwards here is glory. So each person present today, we do have an afterwards. But notice the first part of the verse, thou shalt guide me with thy counsel.

I like to think upon this from salvation's day until the Lord takes us home and the Lord comes. Guided by the Holy Scriptures as we have been exhorted here today. Only until he come.

Afterward, that is when the Lord comes, it says he shall receive me to glory. We commenced with receiving him, the Lord Jesus Christ, and now he will receive us to glory. And I've been summing up some of the things that we've heard yesterday and today, commencing Friday night rather.

During this short span of time that he'll guide us with his counsel, we need to learn to pray. We need to learn to overcome. Many of us have experienced that and yet we more to experience that, of that.

We need to learn humility and holiness, communion with God, fellowship in a local assembly, to keep ourselves in the love of Christ, to give one's life to Christ. And as we heard this morning, fully dependent upon the Shepherd. That's a life learning process.

Learning to fully depend, to trust the Shepherd's divine guidance. And that Bible reading commenced with the dwelling place that we'll touch upon here in a moment. I want us to think for a moment on John the Baptist.

He had an afterwards, did you know that? Yes, his life was taken after a short time of ministry, very short time. His life was taken, but he did have an afterwards. The Holy Scriptures, John 115 records, he bear witness of him.

Would that not be a good commendation to receive when we get to heaven? But more than that, the Lord says he bear witness unto the truth. And more than that, he was a burning and a shining light. What a commendation for you and I to go in for, because we are going to heaven afterwards.

Then I want us to think about the Samaritan woman. What was her afterwards following salvation's day? A very troubled life, five men in her life, then a sixth one until she met the seventh man. And when God saved her, and I've heard this testimony of a number of women particularly, they got their mouths open and no one ever shut them.

She went to the streets, well known to all, lay down her water pots, and her testimony was this, come see a man that told me all things that ever I did. Is not this the Christ? What were the afterwards effects? Many believed for her simple words on the Lord Jesus Christ. I was in La Crosse and I heard the testimony of one in our midst.

The first time she heard some gentleman outside of a cafeteria door speaking of Christ, she heard it, believed it. Many did not believe on Christ, but her words drove them to the person of Christ. And then they in turn said, now we believe, not because of your words, but we have heard him ourself.

What a commendation of a woman afterwards, that is after salvation's day, she got her mouth open and how God mightily used her tongue. Then I want us to think about the church at Thessalonica. We've heard, it was just touched upon by our brother, they really suffered persecution.

But you know what was Paul's commendation of them? Four generations of testimony. He to the Thessalonians, their testimony to others. And then it came back to Paul, the same gospel message.

That wasn't gossip. Gossip always changes along the way. But when there's reality in it, as there is in the gospel, it was the same message.

They turned to God from idols, from idol worshippers, to serve the living and the true God. What was their afterwards effect? Were they preachers? No, I don't think so. But in that fellowship, which is a lampstand, that is a burning and a shining light for God in this dark world, they went to every community about, telling the wondrous story of the Savior.

They suffered, yes, but they spread the gospel of Christ as a local testimony of believers. One illustration, a modern-day illustration, off the New York Harbor is an island called Warner Island. A rich couple lived there by name of Warner, and across the bay was the United States Military Academy called West Point.

It was this couple's exercise in the late 1800s to invite a boatload of men, cadets, to come to their home for dinner and tell them of the Savior. And this they did for many years. They had two daughters.

One was named Ann. The parents died, and in the night, in their teens and 20s and 30s, these two young ladies decided, let's do something more. Let us have a Bible reading with these cadets.

Every Lord's Day, a boatload of United States Military Academy cadets came to their home for dinner, yes, then for a Bible reading. Ann died in 1950, I think it was. What was her afterwards? Many of these cadets were saved by God's grace and became generals in the United States Military Army.

Saved men at the helm of the army. And one little afterwards effect for the boys and girls here today, Ann recorded something that I think you'll really like. What was it? She wrote a little children's hymn, Jesus Loves Me.

This I know. The Bible tells me so. Children, not only in America, but around the world, sing this little hymn because a woman was spiritual minded.

Live for God. I want to close with John 17. John 17, two prayer requests to the Lord.

Lord, our Father, do not take them out of the world, but keep them in the world, but not of it. Keep them from the evil. That's his prayer for you and me.

What's the second request? The second request is that they might behold me, behold my glory, verse 24. What a dwelling place that will be. Eternal home.

Thou will guide me with thy counsel, the word of God, all the days of our life. Afterwards receive me to glory, to be received into glory. Where there are many mansions, but more than that, they might behold my glory.

And what will the commendation be? Will it be like those of the five and two talents? Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Wouldn't it be something if it was said of you and me, they were burning and a shining light. And as our brother brought out in ministry, there'll be an eternal worship of the very Son of God for all of the saints in glory.

God bless his word to our hearts.