Good evening. Turn to Psalm 16,
if you would. It's our privilege to be here
with you tonight. It truly is. And if you remember,
I think the last time we were here, I said that it would probably
be quite a few years before we were here again. And we expected
it to be a lot longer, but the Lord and His good providence
had other purposes for us. And as you know, we were brought
back last year when our daughter had that serious fall in the
mountains of Colorado. And I'd just like to express
the gratitude of our hearts to you for your concern during that
time. Jim passed that on to us. We knew you were praying, looking
to the Lord and knowing that, as I said, that his will is a
good will. And we're so thankful for that
knowledge, aren't we? And I was just thankful too for
the times that Jim and I were able to speak. And it was a blessing
and a help to Robin and I. And as you know, what a wonder
of God's goodness to us that he delivered our daughter. And
I was just saying earlier, you know, she's Christ. She's one
of his sheep. And the Lord brought us to the
place where we knew that even if it was the Lord's purpose
to take her to be with him, to die is gain. It's no loss, it's
gain. And we're just thankful that
we have such a great shepherd of the sheep, that we can trust
him all the time. And I'm, again, privileged to
be here to preach the gospel to you. And here in Psalm 16,
we have a wonderful Wonderful portion of scripture, don't we?
This psalm is the psalm of David, breathed into his heart and into
his mind and put upon his lips by the Holy Spirit over a thousand
years before the incarnation of the Son of God. But Peter,
under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, reveals that these
words, here in Psalm 16, are the words of Christ. The words
of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, uttered in the midst
of His suffering and death for the sins of His people. Don't take my word for it. Look
over to Acts, Chapter 2. I know you're familiar with these
portions, but it's always good for us to reinforce these things
in our minds. Acts, Chapter 2. And Jesus had
told his disciples, when the spirit of truth had come, he
would guide them into all truth. For, he said, for he will glorify
me. and he will take of what is mine
and declare it to you." Well, on the day of Pentecost, the
promise of the Holy Spirit was poured out upon Peter and the
rest of the disciples, as you know. And light and understanding
flooded the soul of Peter as he understood these Old Testament
scriptures. He understood that they spoke
about Jesus. And he stood up and preached
that powerful gospel message about who? About Jesus, about
Christ. And we'll just pick up there
in verse 22. And listen, he says, men of Israel,
hear these words. Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested
by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs, which God did through
him in your midst, as you yourselves also know. Him being delivered
by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God. This wasn't
an accident. This was according to God's eternal
purpose, according to His decree, His determined purpose. According
to His determined purpose and the foreknowledge of God, you
have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death. You're responsible. God determined,
and it worked out exactly according to God's purpose, that you, by
your lawless hands, are guilty of your actions. All God had
to do was withdraw his restraint upon the wicked and evil heart
of man and their hatred towards the Christ. And they took him
and killed him. whom God raised up, having loosed
the pains of death, because it was not possible that he should
be held by it. For David says concerning him,
here we are, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he
is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken. Therefore, my
heart rejoiced and my tongue was glad. Moreover, my flesh
also will rest in hope, for you will not leave my soul in Hades,
nor will you allow your Holy One to see corruption. You have
made known to me the ways of life. You will make me full of
joy in your presence. Well, these are the words of
Christ. Let's read them now in the Psalms, in the Old Testament,
with eyes like Peter. Why? Because God, in His graces,
poured out His Spirit into our hearts, hasn't He? And given
us an understanding to look at these passages, look at these
scriptures, and know Even when the word doesn't directly say,
as we read in Acts, but even as the Lord, the Spirit, opens
up these scriptures to us. And who do we see? We see Christ,
don't we? And so let's read. Let's just read. I don't want
to keep you too long. Let's just read beginning in
verse five. It's all of Christ, but let's just begin reading
in verse five. Oh Lord, you are the portion
of my inheritance and my cup. You maintain my lot. The lines
have fallen to me in pleasant places. Yes, I have a good inheritance. I will bless the Lord who has
given me counsel. My heart also instructs me in
the night seasons. I have set the Lord always before
me. He is at my right hand. I shall
not be moved. Therefore, my heart is glad and
my glory rejoices. My flesh also will rest in hope. For you will not leave my soul
in jail, nor will you allow your Holy One to see corruption. you
will show me the path of life. In your presence is fullness
of joy. At your right hand are pleasures
forevermore." You know, there's something especially wonderful,
isn't there, about the Psalms that speak of the redemption
of Christ Jesus, and particularly the Psalms that we know to be
his words in the midst of this great work that he's accomplished.
I think of these psalms as songs of redemption. You know, as Jim pointed out, I'm so thankful
for the special music. And you'll see, not only did
it fit so well with the message we just heard, but you'll see
that it connects with this message by God's grace we'll hear. And
that's not a surprise, is it? Because the Lord It's according
to His providence. And we're thankful for that,
too. We're thankful. This is a song of redemption,
this psalm. Seen through the lens of the
gospel, the revelation concerning Christ and His work, which we
find in these psalms, is unusual. It gives insight into the operations
of the heart and mind of Christ as he went about this great work
that the Father had given to him. And two, it gives a glimpse
into the mysterious communion between God the Father and God
the Son as the Son undertakes this work given to him by the
Father, and as the Father supports and sustains him in that work. We read, that after the birth
of Jesus in Bethlehem, the family returned to their own city, Nazareth,
and the child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with
wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him. As a child growing
up in Nazareth, in Galilee, Jesus would have sung this psalm many
times. He knew all of the Psalms, as did every Israelite. They
sang them in the congregation, in the synagogue of the people
every week. Think, when you read Psalms like
this, think of the meaning they would have had to this child
growing up in Israel, singing these Psalms, growing in his
understanding, knowing that they're his Psalms. He wrote them. Think of the wonder of that. Jesus had sung this psalm many
times before he went to the cross. But think, too, he'd sung this
psalm from eternity, hadn't he? These were authored in eternity,
before the world began, before time. This song is his song. It's a song of redemption. And
in this psalm, we're given the words of the incarnate God, the
Lord Jesus Christ. Now, as we look at it, it's essential
that He is one person, one person with two distinct natures. He's not two persons. He's not
one God and one man. Nor is he one person who is partly
God and partly man. He is one person who is fully
God. Fully God. God to the brim. Perfect divinity. And he's also
fully man. Man to the brim. perfect humanity in this one
man, one person with two distinct natures. What are we told? This
is the importance of this word that says, for in him, in him
dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. Bodily. You hold this man, you hold God. And at times he speaks in his
nature as the Son of God. And at times he speaks in his
nature as the Son of Man. But he's one person, with one
heart, one mind, one soul, one will. He's the only Redeemer
of God's elect. Now, there's a second thing,
too, that's important for us to consider when we read not
just this psalm, but psalms like this, where Christ is speaking.
With respect to the Christ's work of redemption, so close
is the spiritual union between Christ and the elect that at
times he speaks as our Redeemer. Look at verse 10. the Holy One,
the Holy One, God's Holy One. That can only be of Him, can't
it? That can only be of Him. He speaks
as our Redeemer, but at times He speaks as our substitute. Look at verse 2. O my soul, you
have said to the Lord, you are my Lord, my goodness is nothing,
nothing apart from you. That's us, isn't it? He's speaking
as our substitute. That's you and I, our goodness. What goodness do we have? None,
none. My goodness is nothing apart
from you. But so close is his union with
the church, as he goes about this great work, is that he can
speak as if we're speaking. The church is speaking in him,
isn't it? Aren't we? We'll look there. He says in
verse five, Oh Lord, oh Lord, you are the portion of my inheritance
and my cup. You maintain my lot. His portion. Now, think, we read in the Bible
that though he was rich, yet for our sakes, he became poor. He left his throne of glory,
not just for a day, But for an entire lifetime, Jesus said to
his disciples, you remember, foxes have holes and birds of
the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his
head. What a wonder. But this wasn't just a poverty
of material things. You and I, we tend to think on
that level. At least I know I do. I'm in
need. It must be something material. But no, this wasn't just a poverty
of material things, a place to lay his head. This was a poverty
of position, of power, of esteem, of security, of strength, of
friends, of fellowship, of comfort. And in the end, a poverty of
all things. A poverty culminating in that
cry expressing the pinnacle of loss. My God, my God, why have
you forsaken me? In the midst, here he is, speaking
in the midst of this unimaginable loss, what does Christ need? Who is his portion? The Lord. The Lord is my portion. All that
he desires, all that he needs, is found in the Lord God. The words of the psalmist in
Psalm 73 echo this thought, don't they? So, so dear to us. Whom have I in heaven but thee? There is none upon earth whom
I desire beside Thee. My flesh and my heart fail. Oh, they failed, didn't they,
for Christ? But God is the strength of my
heart and my portion forever. He wants no other, and He looks
for no other. The Lord is the portion of his
soul, and in him he is fully satisfied. His cup overflows. Turn over to Isaiah 49 for a
moment. Keep your place here, but look
over in Isaiah 49. No matter what the circumstances,
Christ trusts in God. In this psalm, in the first verse,
he prays, preserve me, O God, for in you I put my trust. And he looks to his God in full
assurance of hope. Why? because of the word of the
Lord to him, with respect to this work. And here's one of
those words revealed to us here in Isaiah 49, verse, let's begin
there in verse seven, Isaiah 49, verse seven. Thus says the
Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, their Holy One, to him whom man
despises, to him whom the nation abhors, to the servant of rulers. Here he is despised a board,
a servant. Ah, yes, but read on. Kings shall see and arise. Princes also shall worship this
man. Why? Because of the Lord who
is faithful, the Holy One of Israel. He has chosen you. And this is what he says. Thus
says the Lord, in an acceptable time, I have heard you. Will
he hear him? Oh, he will. In an acceptable
time, I have heard you. And in the day of salvation,
I have helped you. I will preserve you. and give
you as a covenant to the people to restore the earth. He prays
in Psalm 16. Turn back there. He prays, Lord,
preserve me. Is he going to be preserved?
Oh, he certainly will be. When will he be preserved? In
the day of salvation. In the day of salvation. Turn back to Psalm 16. He will
be given as a covenant to the people to restore the earth."
What grace, what joy. We know that. We've experienced
it. He's restored us, hasn't he?
These words flow from the heart of Christ in the midst of a suffering
and death like no other, beyond the realm of human experience.
You know, many people think of the death of Christ entirely
in the realm of human experience. You know, this is why we, some
years back, there was a movie. I forget what it was called.
It was The Great Rage, The Passion, The Great Rage, and all people
flocked to see it. All they did was look at the
sufferings. Well, not even a man, an actor,
pretending. No, the death of Christ, there
has never been suffering like this, and there never will be
again. He is the Lord of glory, the
Son of God incarnate, drinking the cup given to him by the Father,
the cup of woe and indescribable agony, as he's given as a covenant to
the people. He is our God, in our nature,
enduring unspeakable anguish and the ultimate horror of being
utterly forsaken by God. That shocking cry from the accursed
tree gives us a sense, just a sense, of the infinite weight of sins
as he treads out the winepress of the wrath of God alone. alone. He himself bore our sins in his
own body on the tree, and there was none with him. None with
him. Jesus knew the ultimate forsakenness. He paid the ultimate cost. Now, whenever There is great cost. The question always is, is it
worth it? Is it worth it? Isn't that true?
When we have some great expenditure, we think, is it worth it? Is
it worth the cost? Do I regret what I have spent? Well, what of Christ? What a cost. Well, was it worth
it? Here are His words. Look at verse
6. The lines have fallen to me in
pleasant places. Yes, I have a good inheritance."
What a wonder. All this, all this, for what? For you, and for me, and for a multitude of miserable
sinners. Worms! But he went to the cross, and
Jesus lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, Father, the hour has
come. Glorify your son that he may
also glorify you. As you have given him authority
over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many
as you have given him. That's his inheritance. That's
what he did it for. In Psalm 2, we read more of that.
You know it. He says, I will declare the decree the Lord
has said to me. Here is the father speaking to
the son in that eternal decree. You are my son. Today, I have
begotten you, begotten you to carry out this work we're speaking
of. Ask of me, and I will give you
the nations for your inheritance. and the ends of the earth for
your possession." This is His inheritance. It's all that the
Father has given to Him. The lines of His inheritance
fall around the Church. They mark out the people given
to Him by the Father. They're His possession. And He shall see of the travail
of His soul And be satisfied. Be satisfied. What marvelous grace to consider
the cost to look upon me and consider it worth it. Satisfied. Yes, he says, I have
a good inheritance. And what of us? Look in verse
3. As for the saints who are on the earth, they are the excellent
ones, in whom is all my delight. Speaking about you and me. How
can you even find the words to bring out the grace of God in
this? Well, look there in verse 7.
I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel. My heart also
instructs me in the night seasons. Among the many things that Christ
is to us, he's our wonderful counselor, isn't he? He's not
only made unto us righteousness and sanctification and redemption,
but he's made unto us wisdom from God. He's our counselor. The Apostle Paul, in writing
to the saints there at Colossae, says this. This is his great
desire for them, that their hearts may be encouraged being knit
together in love and attaining to all riches of the full assurance
of understanding to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of
the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures
of wisdom and knowledge." In this man. In this man. All the treasures of wisdom and
knowledge. He's our counselor, isn't he? But it's particularly remarkable,
then, when we read, particularly in the epistles, that Christ
puts great emphasis upon the fact that all that He teaches, He's received from the Father. Let me give you an example of
this from John. Don't turn there, but you know
these texts. They're all through John in particular,
who puts such emphasis on this aspect of Christ's work and words. But here in John 8, we read,
then they said to him, who are you? Well, as Tim pointed out,
Christ was harassed continually by the Pharisees. and all sorts
of enemies. Who are you? And Jesus said to
them, just what I have been saying to you from the beginning. I
have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but he
who sent me is true. And I speak to the world those
things which I heard from him. Yes, in him is found all the
treasures of wisdom and knowledge. But in this work of redemption,
he points us to his father. All that He teaches, He's received
from Him. They did not understand that
He spoke to them of the Father. Then Jesus said to them, When
you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and
that I do nothing of Myself, but as My Father taught Me, I
speak these things. You see how He glorifies His
Father. This was the whole purpose and
will of the son in coming to this world to glorify his father. And he certainly did, didn't
he? He says here, I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel. My heart also instructs me in
the night seasons. The heart of Christ taught him
in the night seasons. And this was a night season.
This was a night season that had been building from eternity.
This was a night season that would turn the midday sun to
darkness. And what prepared him for this
season? All the counsels of God. All
the counsels of God that he had treasured up in his heart from
eternity. Think of the perfection of the
heart of Jesus, the eternal Son of God, full of infinite wisdom
and knowledge of the counsels of the triune God in this work
of redemption, as they counsel together, the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit, counseling together in that dawn of eternity,
if it could be expressed that way. But it can't, because it's
eternal. Counseling together. The counsel of God sustained
Him. The Word of God sustained Him.
In this time of deep distress, look at how Jesus turns to the
Word. Do you see that? He turns to
the Word, the Word of His Father, counseling Him, speaking to Him
in this time of deep distress. and God counsel the soul of his
beloved as only he can. Turn over a few pages to Psalm
32 for a moment. Psalm 32. In the flood of afflictions,
in the flood of great waters, he's our help. Verse six, for
this cause, everyone who is godly shall pray to you in a time when
you may be found. Surely in a flood of great waters,
they shall not come near him. You are my hiding place. You
shall preserve me from trouble. You shall surround me with songs
of deliverance. Songs of deliverance. And the
same is true of every one of his people. He speaks to us through
His Son. He counsels us through His Word. And in the darkness of night,
the Lord, in His good providence, brought Robin and I to one of
those places this last year. In the dark night of distress,
that it seems wherever you turn in the Word of God, He speaks
to you. The Word becomes so rich and
so powerful and so wonderful. I've said this before, it's like
heaven on earth. And it is, it is. He makes you to lie down in the
green pastures of his glorious gospel. He leads you beside the
still waters of His mercy and His grace. He surrounds you with
songs of deliverance, and He restores your soul. He does,
doesn't He? You know it, don't you? Well, Psalm 16 is one of these
songs. Turn back there. He continues, verse 8, I have
set the Lord always before me because he is at my right hand. I shall not be moved. Now, one
of the richest blessings we have in Christ is communion with God. In the night of darkness, even
when we're in deep distress, distress of heart and soul, he's
with us. He brings us, by His grace, to
a place where everything in life recedes. All the things that
we think are so important, spend our affections on, and our wealth
on, and our time on, and all of these things, just flee, just
flee away. You know what I'm talking about,
some of you, don't you? And even good things, family,
friends, Yes, they recede in importance. And the only thing
that's left before your face is God. The Lord alone is before our
face. By that mysterious working in
our heart by the Holy Spirit, He sets Himself there. That's
His grace, isn't it? We don't. We don't. We'd never
find Him. We'd never come to that place.
But He sets Himself there before our face. He makes His presence
known to us. And that's why His word becomes
so rich as He speaks to us through it. All the word that we've heard,
that we've read, that we've heard preached, that brothers and sisters have
shared with us. The Lord, the Holy Spirit draws
upon that and gives us help and comforts our hearts. But with Christ, what does he
say? The Lord is always before my
face. Who set him there? He has. He sets the Lord always before
his face. I have set the Lord always before
me at all times and in all circumstances. Nothing else can intervene. No
one else can take his place. Think of the perfect communion
between the father and the son, the perfect love, the perfect
harmony, the perfect understanding as they delighted together with
each other from eternity. Turn over to Psalm 22, just another
few pages. Psalm 22, I think all of us are
so familiar with this Psalm. We can't ever read it without
brokenness, can we? This is a song of forsakenness. And here we see Christ surrounded
on every side, encircled by enemies in a flood of great waters. But think, too, as we read this,
just some of these verses, a few of these verses of this psalm.
Think, as we read, the love of a parent for a child, an incomprehensible
anguish and suffering of soul. We think of the sufferings of
our Savior, but in that suffering is the suffering of a father. And that's implicit in the wonder of that Gospel
declaration. For God so loved. He so loved! He so loved! This is the type of love that
He gave His Son to this. That God so loved the world,
that he gave his only begotten son. Verse 14, look there in
Psalm 22, verse 14. I am poured out like water, and
all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax, it has
melted within me. My strength is dried up like
a pot's herd, and my tongue clings to my jaws. You have brought
me to the dust of death. For dogs have surrounded me.
The congregation of the wicked has enclosed me. They pierced
my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones. They
look and stare at me. They divide my garments among
them, and for my clothing they cast lots. But you, Oh, Lord,
do not be far from me. Oh, my strength, hasten to help
me. Deliver me from the sword, my
precious life from the power of the dog. Save me from the
lion's mouth and from the horns of the wild oxen. Is this work too great? Is this cause too overwhelming? Will he turn aside? Will he be
moved? We'll hear another word, another
word of him in Isaiah 42. Don't turn there again. You know
this word. It's written on your heart. Behold
my servant whom I uphold. my elect in whom my soul delights. Here is the almighty father sustaining
his son. I have put my spirit upon him.
He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles. He will not cry
out, nor raise his voice, nor cause his voice to be heard in
the street. A bruised reed he will not break. And smoking flax
he will not quench. he will bring forth justice for
truth. He will not fail nor be discouraged
till he has established justice in the earth. He shall not be moved. This is
the day of salvation. He's come to save his people
from their sins. And He's immovable in this endeavor,
isn't He? I shall not be moved. He will
finish the work. He will make an end of sins. He will bring in everlasting
righteousness. And He will obtain eternal redemption. He will, by one offering, for
sin forever perfect those who are sanctified. What a wonder,
what a wonder. Turn back to Psalm 16. And here this song of redemption
rises up out of the depths to the magnificent heights of joyful
prayer and worship and adoration to his father. Verse nine, therefore,
my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices. My flesh also will
rest in hope, for you will not leave my soul in shale, nor will
you allow your Holy One to see corruption. You will show me
the path of life. In your presence is fullness
of joy. At your right hand are pleasures
forevermore. Therefore, he says, therefore,
my heart is glad. Why? Why? His heart is glad because
the Lord is his portion. The Lord is his counsel. The
Lord is always before his face, upholding him by his right hand. His whole being rejoices because
he'll accomplish this work given to him by the Father as a covenant
to the people. to restore the earth, and he
rejoices because he'll see the travail of his soul and be satisfied. He rejoices. The work which he
will accomplish will be like no other work which has ever
been or ever will be. A work so magnificent, so glorious,
so gracious, so wise, so honoring to God. that all the angels and
all men will bow down before him and worship and adoration
forever. Forever! Yes. He knows he's going to die. He knows he's going to go down
to the grave. But his flesh will rest in hope. The trust of Jesus Christ was
a perfect trust in His Father. Perfect trust in His God. His
flesh would rest in hope and in full assurance that He would
be raised in body, incorruptible from the grave. How could He
not? How could He not? This One, the Holy One of God. And two, Why was he raised? Because in this death of the
Holy One of God, he came as high priest of the good things to
come. A priest, holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners. And with his own blood, the blood
of the spotless Lamb of God, he entered that most holy place,
that place not made with hands, which is of this creation, but
into heaven itself, into the presence of the holy God and
made one offering for sin forever. The justice of God satisfied
and he raises from the grave. from the grave to testify of
the satisfaction of the justice of God in this great work which
he's accomplished once for all, forever. For you will not leave
my soul in Hades in shale, nor will you allow your Holy One
to see corruption. No, no. He was raised according
to what power? The power of an endless life. He made all things perfect, bringing
in a better hope by which we draw near to God. This psalm
of our Savior are His words, but there are words, too. We're
in Him through this mystical union of Christ and the Church.
He sings, this psalm. He sings these psalms as our
substitute, bearing all that we could never bear. He sings
these psalms as our sacrifice, offering a sacrifice we could
never offer. He sings these psalms with us,
entering in as our priest into the place that we could never
enter. He sings these psalms with us
as our Redeemer, paying the ransom price. We could never pay. Turn over to Hebrews 6 and let's
finish there. Hebrews 6. He says there that we just read
that the Lord will show him the path of life. For us, for us. He's the firstborn
from the dead, opening the way into eternal life for all for
whom He died. He's the forerunner of all the
redeemed. And look there, how much the Father wants us
to have assurance of His Son and the work that His Son has
accomplished. Look at verse 17 in Hebrews 6. Verse 17, thus God, determining to show
more abundantly to the heirs of promise, that's us, the immutability
of his counsel confirmed it by an oath that by two immutable
things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have
strong consolation. Now, if God says it, is it true? Does he need to make an oath?
No, he doesn't need to make an oath. It's impossible for God
to lie. You know, there's some things
that it is impossible for God because of his nature. One of
those is lie. If God's word says it, it's true. But here, that we might have
strong consolation, he confirms it by anoth, this work of his
son, that we might have strong consolation who have fled for
refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have
as an anchor for the soul. Sometimes we're in these straits, and they're nothing compared
to what we just read of our forerunner. Are they? You know, we feel like
our life is hanging by a thread. Or maybe it's one of our loved
ones. If we're in Christ, is it hanging
by a thread? No. We have an anchor for the
soul, because it doesn't matter whether you live or die, or it
doesn't matter what else happens in these circumstances. We have
an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast. And this anchor,
where is it? It's entered the presence behind
the veil where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus. We have a good hope, do we not?
The path of life leads where? Into the presence of God, inexpressible
and full of glory. What joy. what fullness, what
pleasures forevermore. Amen.