and we've got an instruction
from His Holy Word. Now let's turn again to Psalm 119 and this
evening we'll meditate upon verses 53 to 56. So we'll read together
those four verses this evening. Psalm 119 verses 53 to 56. Horror
hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake thy law. Thy statues
have been my song in the house of my pilgrimage. I remember
thy name, O Lord, in the night, and have kept thy law. This I
had because I kept thy precepts. where the psalmist commences
with really a very solemn statement. He tells us, horror has taken
hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake thy law. And it's
good really for us when we realise what the condition and situation
is of those who forsake the law, the Word of God, those who turn
to their own way, those who say, we will not have this man to
reign over us. It's a fearful thing to consider
the state of the lost. Those who forsake the Word of
God, who turn to their own way, want nothing to do with it. And
what a horror it is to consider what it will be like for such
who end up in eternity in hell. It's good sometimes to just think
on these things and to realize what a great blessing it is if
we are delivered from that condition and if we're blessed with a good
hope in the mercy of our God so that we won't be amongst those
who have to endure an eternal hell. And we pray that it may
be so in our own lives, that we may really consider these
things. Often perhaps when you hear of
one being taken and another dying, I suppose almost the automatic
consideration is, where is their soul? Where is their soul? And of course we know that sadly
the majority of people in the world today die as unbelievers. And that should register with
us and fill us with horror to realise that those are in a lost
eternity, never to escape. If we think or try to think what
eternity is, It is a horror and it is something to fear but also
something to not just pass over so that it may influence us in
our lives, influence us in who we speak to and how we speak
and what we say. And to be concerned that there
may be those opportunities granted to us that we can speak to those
who fear not God those who are going headlong to a lost eternity. Well, says the psalmist, horror
hath taken hold upon me. It's gripped him. He realises
the terror of the lost soul. And it would be good for each
of us if such things take hold of us, put things in a right
perspective, makes us consider our latter end, makes us concerned
about our loved ones, makes us concerned about those we meet
with. And when we ponder and think
of the end of such, surely it fills us indeed with horror. John, in his epistle, he said
in the fifth chapter, verse 19, And we know that we are of God. What a wonderful blessing that
is. If God has shown to us that we
are his children. It's amazingly humbling, isn't
it? To think that although we deserve to be passed by, he hasn't. He stopped and said to us, live. Well, it says, John, and we know
that we are of God. And he says, and the whole world
lies in wickedness. The whole world lies in wickedness. Well, it's a very, very sad and
solemn situations, isn't it? But then he goes on to say, thy
statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage. Well, again, he was able to be
thankful for that. He was able to rejoice in it. He was able to bless God for
it. And as he was on pilgrimage,
may we be on pilgrimage. May we realize that we are strangers
and pilgrims on this earth. This earth is not our rest and
it's not our home. We're passing through time to
our home. And what a great blessing that
will be to realize that God has prepared a place, a place of
absolute happiness. And the word of God, the statutes,
the laws of God direct us to the great truths which are contained
in scripture. And so he says, those things
shall be our songs in the house of our pilgrimage. We may be
able to truly sing from our heart the wonderful, wonderful truths
of God. And remember, as we read in the
Hebrews, there remaineth a rest to the people of God. You see,
we live in a restless world, but it's good we can look forward
to that place of eternal happiness and eternal rest and what a wonderful
blessing it is and the Apostle Paul goes on to tell us he says
in the Corinthians therefore we are always confident knowing
that whilst we're at home in the body we are absent from the
Lord that was A grand statement really, if you think about it
carefully. Therefore we are always confident. He was confident. He had a good hope. He had the
evidence in his heart that God had called him out of darkness
into the glorious light of the gospel. And therefore he was
humbly confident. Therefore we are always confident,
knowing that whilst we're at home in the body, we're absent
from the Lord. And therefore to realise, yes,
we have a good prospect, a wonderful prospect if we are those for
whom the blessed Saviour has died and to remember that we
are pilgrims and strangers. We're passing through time and
may it really be to our eternal home. May we not leave home. May this world not be our home. May we not be found settling
down here and setting our hearts and affections upon the things
of time. But given that grace to set our
hearts and affections upon things above so that we may have as
good songs. The statues have been my songs
in the house of my pilgrimage. I have remembered thy name, O
Lord, in the night." Well, you know, it's good if we can remember
the name of the Lord and the psalmist said, if so be ye have
tasted the Lord is gracious. And what a mercy that is, if
we've tasted that the Lord is gracious to us. And therefore
we desire to truly think upon the great and glorious truths
of God. And therefore, if we are awake
in the night, to consider the Lord, to consider his truth,
consider all that he has set before us, in his word." Well,
says the psalmist, I have remembered. It's good if we have remembered.
It's good if we have things that we do remember. I have remembered
thy name, O Lord. What a great and wonderful blessing
that is. Again, in the Proverbs, Solomon
says, the name of the Lord is a strong tower The righteous
runneth into it, and is safe. That's a good thought, isn't
it? At night, to be concerned, perhaps about many things, and
to be able to come to that strong tower. The Lord Jesus Christ,
the name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous runneth
into it, and is safe. The safety in the Lord. My friends,
there's not safety in the things of time, but there is safety
in the Lord. And if we are in Christ, we are
eternally safe. What a wonderful, wonderful blessing
it is. I have remembered thy name, O
Lord, in the night, and have kept my law. The desire will
be to keep God's law, to walk in his paths, to follow his wonderful
example which he sets before us, and not to wander away, that
we may be amongst those who truly Fear the Lord. There's two wonderful
verses in the 50th of Isaiah, or the last verse, rather, the
10th verse, and this is what it says. It's familiar, perhaps,
to you. Who is among you that feareth
the Lord? Well, that's the first question,
isn't it? Who is among you that feareth the Lord? And you and
I have to answer as individuals. And then he says, it goes on.
It doesn't stop there. Who is among you that feareth
the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant? Well, it's a
great privilege if you and I are able to obey the Word of God. And we may therefore think, well
now, everything will be smooth without any difficulty. But Isaiah
goes on to tell us that walketh in darkness and hath no light. We think surely such a character
who fears the Lord and obeys his voice will always be walking
in the light. Well, says Isaiah to encourage
us, I remember thy name, O Lord, in the night, and have kept thy
law to be strengthened by such words. And then Isaiah goes on
to say, if that's the situation, what are we to do? Let him trust
in the name of the Lord and stay upon his God. That'll bring relief. That'll encourage us. That'll
strengthen us. And we should be very thankful
then to have a God who's near at hand and not afar off. And then he said, this I had
because I kept thy precepts. He tells us he had this blessing. And again, it's wonderful if
we're able to confirm, you know, it's so easy to doubt the wonderful
work of God. It's so easy to turn away from
what God has done for us. But here, the psalmist says,
this I had. He was blessed with this wonderful
knowledge. And what a mercy it is if we're
blessed with this wonderful knowledge. The psalmist says, if so be ye
have tasted that the Lord is gracious. What a blessing this
I had because I kept thy precepts. To be those who truly desire
to do the Lord's will, to follow his wonderful example, and not
to listen to the evil insinuations of the devil, who would always
desire to turn us away from the way of God, from the truth of
God, and to follow that which is not right. Well, there's great
truth in these verses. You might be able to go home
and ponder them and realize how relevant they are to our lives
today. The Word of God is relevant to
our lives today. Sometimes we perhaps pass over
it a bit quickly, but it is true. May the Lord bless us and remember
we have a God who is near at hand and not afar off.