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Source: https://www.sermonindex.net/speakers/marvin-derksen/the-unfailing-ways-of-god/
I want to read in the book of Deuteronomy. Initially, Deuteronomy chapter 31, and we'll read at verse number one. Moses went and spake these words unto all Israel, and he said unto them, I am a hundred and twenty years old this day.
I can no more go out and come in. Also, the Lord hath said unto me, thou shalt not go over this Jordan. The Lord thy God, he will go over before thee. He will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt possess them.
And Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as the Lord hath said. That just dropped down to verse number five. And the Lord shall give them up before your face, that ye may do unto them according unto all the commandments which, I'm sorry, they may do unto them according to all the commandments which I have commanded you, be strong and of a good courage.
Fear not, nor be afraid of them, for the Lord thy God, he it is that is doth go with thee. He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Moses called unto Joshua and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, be strong and of a good courage, for thou shalt, thou must go with this people unto the land which the Lord hath has sworn unto their fathers to give them, and thou shalt cause them to inherit it.
And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee. He will be with thee. He will not fail thee, neither forsake thee. Fear not, neither be dismayed. Just one final verse at this time anyway in Isaiah chapter 42.
Isaiah chapter 42 and Isaiah 42 and verse 4. Isaiah 42 and verse 4, and just really the first four words that I want to look at in that very wonderful statement. It just says, he shall not fail. He shall not fail.
I was thinking this afternoon as I was thinking about the weekend. I said, now what would make this weekend a good weekend? Now I know that weekends, weekend conferences here in Garneville, you're pros at it.
You've had a lot of conferences. In fact, I'd be interested to know how many conferences you have. I asked Brother John and he thought at least 80 and maybe more than, I'm sure likely more than that. So these weekends come and go, don't they?
And I think sometimes we wonder, what would make this a good weekend? Now I think we've, many of us look back to weekends like this and we've left encouraged. We've left with a desire to obey the Lord more fully and so on.
And so I think as we come here on a Friday night, as we look at these two days that will come very quickly, go very quickly, I just asked myself now, what would make this a good weekend here in Garneville?
We've all been praying that we might hear his voice. We might hear his voice and that we might experience the definite sense of his presence. We can't manufacture that, can we? This is not something that we can kind of turn on.
It's not something mechanical. The unmistakable sense of the Lord's presence that he is here, that he's speaking to us, that this is for our hearts. So we want to hear his voice. And in hearing his voice, it'd be wonderful if our hearts were softened with a greater appreciation of his amazing grace and his wondrous love.
That makes the difference, doesn't it? When we understand that he is interested in us, he has moved and he continues to move toward us because of his amazing grace and because of this love that many, many waters could not quench.
But I think as well as I was just musing over this, many times when I go to a conference, I'd like to be challenged because things are maybe not what they should be in my life, kind of been maybe a little bit stagnant, just a little bit not indifferent, but sometimes it can just kind of be same old, same old.
So we need to be challenged to administer the word of God to our hearts and that there might be an honest appraisal as to where we are, spiritually speaking, in our appreciation of Christ, in our worship, in our service.
So I think the big question is tonight, are we growing? Has there been any difference in our life from this year, this time last year, to where we are tonight? Are we growing? Is there evidence of the dealings of God in our life?
And so we need to have an honest appraisal as to where we are spiritually speaking, both individually and yes, collectively. And I think the bottom line is, as Peter could say, that we might live the rest of our time to the will of God.
Now, we're living in a world that's competing for our time and competing for our energy and competing for our talents and competing for our hearts. And so here's Peter and he writes and he says that you might live the rest of your time, the rest of your life, not to the will of the flesh, but to the will of God.
Now, when I think about honest appraisal, I'm made aware that this world of humanity has been marked by failure. I want to speak about the unfailing ways of God, but let me just take very quickly the other side of it, because our history in humanity has been marked by failure.
It's not something that's uncommon. Genesis chapter 47, there was a famine that was raging. So money failed in Joseph's time. When you think of dear Job there, in the misery of that awful trial, he'd lost so much.
And in those days or months or whatever it was of his tremendous trial, family and friends failed him. We see these three men and they're gathering around him. And the sight is so hideous that they don't speak for days.
And then of course, they start and they say, well, no, Job, we figured it out. And this is why you're going through what you're going through. And family and friends failed him. Think of dear David in Psalm 142.
He looked for those that would draw near to him. And he had to say, no man cared for my soul. He felt absolutely abandoned. And then of course, there's that passage in Habakkuk or Habakkuk, however you say that, where the prophet is looking at conditions there and earthly possessions for failing them.
Though the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall be fruit in the vines. The labor of the olive shall fail and the fields yield no interest or no meat. Now your fields look really good here, I must say.
But in Habakkuk's time, it was a difficult time. And so there was failure, failure all around. And of course, in our day, the Lord Jesus spoke about a coming day, and that's where we are today, when men's hearts will fail them for fear.
We're living in a very, very critical time where there's a lot of things happening in this world. And there's a lot of people that are gripped, gripped by fear. Having said all that, I think we have to acknowledge that many times we are accustomed to failure, isn't it?
It's our second name. We don't even want to talk about this. But you know, brothers and sisters, weekend conference are not designed to be a pep rally, to make everybody feel really good, because we do have needs.
We've been confessing that before the Lord. We do sense sometimes our distance and our barrenness and just our need of God. And so we're here because of a personal need, a spiritual need, and a collective need.
You know, the conference at Watergate, remember that one? No, you weren't there, and I wasn't there either. But as the Word of God was read, you know what happened? People began to cry. They wept. And then, of course, you come to Chronicles, and there's a young king by the name of Josiah.
And it's interesting to see the dealings of God. I think he was brought into power at the age of seven, I think, and at the age of 16, he turned to the Lord. And then a number of later, you know what happened?
The book was found. The book was found. And when the book was brought into the presence of the king, you know what happened? He actually tore his garments. As he realized what that book says, we have not kept, we have a big problem.
And you know, sometimes as we weigh up our own condition before God, we need to acknowledge we have a great need of his reviving power. You know, the early church turned the world upside down, didn't it?
The gospel was advanced, and people were saved, and communities were entered, but it seems that the world is turning us upside down. Leonard Ravenhill said one time, he said, the church used to be a, I think I've got it written down here, the church used to be a lifeboat rescuing the perishing.
Now the church is a cruise ship recruiting the promising. So we're living on easy streets sometimes, aren't we? And I'm not suggesting that a good holiday is something that's wrong, but we just need to acknowledge the fact that failure has marked our lives.
But you know, what we have read is just the opposite, isn't it? Because tonight we are able to come to a God, and it just says in the words of Isaiah 42, he shall not fail. He shall not fail. And I trust that as we spend this, these few minutes together to watch the clock here, and as we spend the weekend together, that this great truth of just four words might drip our soul, and might raise our spirits, that our eyes might not be upon ourselves in all of our weakness, and all our barrenness, and all of our failure, but that we might look away to him, to consider him who endured such contradiction of sinners against himself.
So what we've read tonight in the book of Deuteronomy concerns this unfailing person. Moses was saying goodbye, wasn't he? He says, I'm 120 years old, and he says, this is the end of it. I'm not going on.
The Lord has told me that. And so he addresses the nation, and he tells them where they're going, and he tells them of the promise of God, and he tells them what God is expecting of them. And then he says, he shall not fail you.
He shall not fail you. He's going to deliver on what he said. And then, of course, he turns to Joshua, and he says the very same thing. Joshua, he shall not fail you. And here we are in 2026, and that message is for us as well, isn't it?
Because we're linked eternally with this unfailing person. That's what's so thrilling about Isaiah chapter 42, that Jehovah's servant that was so wonderful in his ministry, and yet so despised and rejected by the world.
It just says, he shall not fail nor be discouraged till you've set judgment in the earth. So very quickly, this unfailing God, this unfailing Savior that we're linked with, what does that mean? I remember reading a statement by A. W. Tozer, who may be known to some of the Christians here, and he said these words.
He says, what comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. I thought, that's good. What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.
And that's why a weekend conference is designed to focus again upon this unfailing God of ours, this unfailing Savior. He shall not fail nor be discouraged. I think when it comes to the unfailing realities of our God, he will not fail in his sovereign, amazing power.
We're in great need of his power, aren't we? And I couldn't help but think of those disciples in that boat, and it was dark, and they were rowing, and the Lord wasn't with them. I'm sorry, Mark chapter 4, he was with them.
And of course, the water was coming into the ship, and they were bailing for all they were worth. And finally, they woke him up and said, Master, don't you care that we're perishing? And they watched with amazement as they got up from that very hard bed, and he just said words of power, peace, be still.
I'm not even sure he raised his voice. Peace, be still. And the elements, the wind and the waves, they responded to that voice of sovereign power. That's our God. And that doesn't mean that we as the Lord's people won't go through some storms, through trials, but in the midst of those storms, he shall not fail with regard to his sovereign power.
There was, of course, Lazarus had been dead for four days, and the Lord came. He says, roll away the stone, and I can understand Martha's apprehension. She says, no, Lord, it's not going to be a good smell.
Roll away the stone. And after he had prayed, he just said, Lazarus, come forth. And a dead man responded to that voice of power. I think many times in our inadequacy, when we're pushed to the limit, we need to look again to this God who cannot fail.
There's no failure with regard to his wonderful power. Brethren and sisters, there's no failure with regard to his sovereign purposes. The Lord God omnipotent is reigning. That's a bottom line statement.
The Lord God omnipotent is reigning. And of course, we're surrounded by world powers, and everyone's flexing their muscles. But above all of that, there is a sovereign God whose purposes are being carried out.
In fact, history, yes, it is his story, his story. And what thrills me and what amazes me is that the Lord uses a variety of ways to accomplish his purposes. You remember when the Lord was going to deal with the nation, his own people there in Egypt, and started with a little baby.
And there in that little basket of bulrushes, the parents of Moses had placed their little Moses there in that little boat, and there was in the reeds. And as the princess came, it just says it so simply, and the babe wept.
The babe wept. Turning point. Someone said one time that the destiny of a nation at that time was hinged on the baby's tears. The babe wept at the right time and the right way. And of course, that brought Moses into the royal environment and so on.
And so the wheels of God were turning. Sometimes he uses insomnia, doesn't it? You remember that when Haman had put that plot into effect, or at least the plan was there, and these big gallows had been built.
And the very next day, he'd been determined that his enemy, Mordecai, was going to be hanged on those gallows. But that very night, you know what happened? The king couldn't sleep. The king couldn't sleep.
And there he was tossing and turning. And finally, he said, I'm using the Amplified now, but finally, he said, look, bring in some old historical records, and maybe that'll put me to sleep. And as the scribe was reading those records, Mordecai's name came up as to what had been done earlier.
And of course, the tables were turned, weren't they? Because he will not fail. He will not fail in carrying out his purposes. He will not fail in his care for us. And I know many times we wonder, does God really care about us?
That's why when I read Mark chapter 6, I just appreciate this. Here were the disciples, same type of situations as in chapter 4, only this time the Lord wasn't with them, was he? He'd fed the 5 ,000. He'd gone up to the mountain to pray.
And then he told his disciples, he says, go to the other side. And there they were, rowing, rowing, and the wind was contrary to them. It was the fourth watch of the night, the darkest part of the night, I am made to understand.
And it just says, it just says, and I like this, the Lord saw them in toiling. The Lord saw them in toiling. Now, wait a minute, it was dark. It was dark. Yes, it was dark. But the Lord saw them in their burdens.
Give them full credit, they were going to the other side and it was tough going. And you know, many times as I look at an audience like this, there's Christians here and you're toiling and rowing as well.
You don't seem to be making much progress, it seems. But let me tell you tonight that there is a faithful God and a faithful Savior, and he sees you toiling and you're rowing. And that wasn't the end of it because he went to them and then he spoke to them.
So there's no failure in his tender care, his tender compassion, his personal interest in every single one of us. And that's why we can sing that hymn that we sang tonight, take it to the Lord in prayer.
Because the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous. They are. His ears are open to their prayers. So we don't have to wonder if he hears us. We don't have to wonder if he's concerned about it. Yes, he is.
He is. And so there's no, there's no failure in his comfort, in his tender care of us. There's no, there's no failure in his faithful stewardship of us. And I like what Romans chapter 10 tells us, whosoever believeth in him shall not be put to shame.
That's comforting, isn't it? I will never, never, never, never be brought to a place where I said, Lord, you let me down. I was trusting you. And now I know that'll never happen. No. Whosoever believes in him shall not be put to shame because of his faithful stewardship.
No failure with our Lord Jesus Christ. I could go on and on, but I trust we'll appreciate the fact that we're linked with this, with this faithful Lord, with this one who knows our every need. It's been said that God is never in a hurry.
God never hurries. There are no deadlines against which he must work. And so we can relax. We can just appreciate the fact that he knows where we are in the journey of life. And he very tenderly and very carefully and very personally and very faithfully, he ministers to our needs.
He shall not fail. So we're linked with this faithful, unfailing person. But I think we have time. Just go over to 1 Kings now, chapter, chapter 8. Just very briefly. 1 Kings chapter 8. Your Gardnerville clock goes too fast.
1 Kings chapter 8. This time it's not Moses, but this time it's Solomon. Verse 54. 1 Kings chapter 8, verse number 54. And so it was that when Solomon had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication to the Lord, he arose from before the altar of the Lord from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven.
And he stood and blessed all the congregation of Israel with a loud voice saying, blessed be the Lord that has given rest unto his people Israel according to all that he hath promised. Notice this. There has not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses, his servant.
The Lord our God be with us. Faithful person. Ah, we have a faithful promise. We're linked with a wonderful Savior who has given us a faithful, well, not just one promise, many, many promises. There's no failure in what he says.
In fact, it's interesting that the very first promise that was given to mankind was way back in Genesis chapter 3 when the Lord told the serpent that there would be one that would come, would come to see to the woman.
He shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel. Is that not a picture of what took place at the cross? The promise of a Redeemer, the promise of a Savior. And we come to chapter 8, there's the promise of seasons.
The flood was passed and just, they were made aware that to the end of time, there's going to be seed time sowing and seed time and harvest. Cold and warm. That sounds like Iowa, doesn't it? Because here we are.
We're moving on the basis of his promise that we'll never fail. And yes, the Old Testament is filled with the promise of a Messiah that was going to come. Did he come? Oh, he did come. And then of course, the New Testament changes and he says he's coming back again.
If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive to myself that where I am there you may be also. So we're waiting for the fulfillment of that promise, aren't we? It's an unfailing promise.
The world laughs at us. They said, you're living in a dream world. It's just fantasy. Get real. No, we are real because we are linked with this unfailing person who has given us these unfailing promises.
Just chapter 17 of the first Kings. And my time is gone. First Kings chapter 17. This is a very well-known passage. First Kings chapter 17 and verse 13. Now, Elijah has come to Zarephath. And it's interesting.
He was a chariot. The brook dried up. Then he was told to go to Zarephath. Now that's where Jezebel was from. So who'd want to go to Zarephath? That was enemy territory. And I want you to go there because there's a poor widow woman and she's going to feed you there.
So Elijah went. And as you read the account, you know the account, he asked for some water. And then he says, and by the way, could you get me a little cake? Just a bun of some kind. Appreciate that. And in verse number 13, and she said, as the Lord thy God lives, I have not a cake, but a handful of meal in a barrel and a little oil in the cruise.
And behold, I am gathering two sticks that I may go in and dress it for me and my son that we may eat it and die. And Elijah said unto her, fear not, go as and do as thou has said, but make me thereof a little cake first and bring it unto me and after make for thee and for thy son.
For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, the barrel of meal shall not waste. Neither shall the cruise of oil fail until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth. I don't think any of us have been where that dear widow was.
We've known some hard times, but not like this. This was her last meal. There's going to be no tomorrow. And here's this stranger and he's asking just make me a little cake, a little something, please.
And she says, listen, I don't have anything. This is my last meal. We're collecting some sticks and then it's over. Now, he said, as the Lord God has indicated, the cruise of oil will not fail and the flower will not run out.
And of course, that's exactly what happened. And you know, as the Lord's people, sometimes we come into these trials, don't we? You know what we find in the trials of life? We find that there's unfailing provision.
Now, maybe not cut to our prescription, maybe not what we expected, but we understand that this unfailing purpose who has given us unfailing promises is able to deliver on unfailing provisions. And many a time, we have known the hand of God working in unusual ways, unexpected ways, because he is there to meet our needs.
There's a lot that could be said about that, just all kinds of stories of Christians that were at the very end, the very extremity of their resources. And yet the Lord stood with them and the Lord ministered to their needs.
Just one case, some of you maybe have read the book, The Wonders of God, written by William McDonald. And he just tells a story, maybe you've read this, tells a story about a missionary in Africa, I forget his name, and his wife was very, very sick.
And she just said to her husband, she says, you know, I would just love to have a tomato. Didn't have that in that part of Africa, and she just craved for a tomato. And he says, I'm sorry, my dear, there's no tomatoes in this area.
And then there was a knock at the door. You can read this yourself. There was a knock at the door and there was a dear lady from the area, and she had a little basket under her arm with a little towel over the top of the basket.
And she came to the missionary and she said, you know, I was given some seeds and I planted this. I have no idea what they are. Are they okay to eat? And as the missionary pulled back the little towel, well, you know what he saw?
He saw three or four tomatoes. The hand of God. Well, that might seem kind of off the chart because God doesn't work that way anymore. He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. And so we can take comfort and encouragement and strength in this unfailing person.
He shall not fail. I trust that that'll encourage our hearts. Let's pray.