I'd like you to turn with me to the psalm that we read together, Psalm 55 and the text you'll find in verse 22. Cast thy burden upon the Lord and he shall sustain thee. He shall never suffer or allow or permit the righteous to be moved.

Those who are here this morning, We'll hopefully remember that we looked at Hebrews 10 and verse 35, cast not away therefore your confidence which hath great recompense of reward.

We saw how the Jews, the Hebrews at that time passing through much opposition and persecution and yet they had been moved to help Paul in his journey and they had had compassion upon him in his chains. They joyfully gave to him to enable him to endure yet he was concerned that they would forget the great privileges and benefits that they had in Christ Jesus and that they would abandon the faith, they would abandon the great privileges that they have in Christ Jesus and go back to working out a righteousness for themselves.

Instead of sheltering underneath the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, they would seek to work out their own salvation, to live a life of self-righteousness. And we saw that there is no reward for that. No one will ever be able to obtain a righteousness for themselves. The only righteousness that we can be reassured of is the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And he is the one who stands between. He is Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the mediator. He is the high priest. He is the one who shed his own blood for the sacrifice of the, for the sins of his people.

having therefore brethren boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of the Lord, by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which he has consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say that his flesh. And we saw that Jesus Christ, his work that he came to do was specifically designed by God the Father to bring about the salvation for his people. And so that's why he came.

that as a man, a body hast thou prepared for me. He was made like unto his brethren and he laid down his life as an offering for his people. He is the Lamb of God that took away the sin of the world. And he then is our confidence. He is the only way by which we are able to obtain a favour with God. He is the one by which we come to to speak to the Father through the Lord Jesus Christ and there is no other way

and we saw that there are ways by which people may cast off their love to God. They may be tempted by the world and the things that the world has to offer and they may abandon the faith and go after the amusements that the world has to offer but these are temporary amusements, temporary pleasures which are passing away, whereas Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ and his precious blood is an eternal treasure which cannot be taken away from the Lord's people.

And we saw just like Judas, the world, it is attractive. Judas comes to the Lord Jesus Christ with a kiss. He makes out that he's coming in love, coming in care, coming in friendship, coming in fellowship, doing good. And yet he was in betraying the Lord Jesus Christ.

And just like the world, the world looks sweet. It has its attractions. It has its allurements. But there is a bitter cost to it. It is judgment. It has a final sting. It is the judgment of God.

And so we came this morning then with that cast not away therefore your confidence which hath great recompense of reward. There is a great reward for the Lord's people and any loss that we may have incurred through following the Lord Jesus Christ The Lord himself is able to give far more than we can ask or think. Peter and the apostles, they said, we've left all and followed thee. And the Lord said that he would give back to them in this life and then in the next life, eternal life. And so that is the great reward for the Lord's people. It is eternal life. And I think any loss that you had ever incurred will be completely forgotten about in glory when we see the treasures of heaven and we see Christ face to face. Everything in this world that we have had to lose will pale into insignificance when we have an eternity stretched out to be with Christ, which is far better.

This psalm 55 is a psalm of David, but it's also a psalm, messianic psalm regarding Christ Jesus. And the experiences that David went through can be shadows of the experiences of the Lord Jesus Christ. As we saw this morning, how the Old Testament is full of those types and shadows. the parables, as it were, pointing to the fulfilment in the Lord Jesus Christ. So the experiences that David went through are also seen in the life of the Lord Jesus. We see specifically with him and Judas here in this chapter, here in this psalm.

In verse 13, excuse me, But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, mine acquaintance, we took sweet counsel together and walked unto the house of God in company. And then it goes down to verse 21. The words of his mouth were smoother than butter. War was in his heart. His words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords. And so David, writing about his experiences, maybe with his son Absalom, how they walked to the house of God together, and yet he turned on him, wanted to take his kingdom. His words were smoother than butter, but in his heart, there was war, there was drawn swords.

But he comes to this point that although these things are taking place and although he is experiencing this trouble, yet he is to bring all of these things to the Lord. He begins by saying, give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not thyself from my supplication. Attend unto me and hear me. I mourn in my complaint and make a noise. We saw this morning with the Hebrews and the privilege of prayer, the privilege of having a high priest at the right hand of the Father, and that we're not to cast away that privilege, we're not to cast away that the confidence that we have, the faith that we have, the confidence that we have in coming to the throne of grace, that we have a God in heaven who's able to hear. He's able to hear our cries and nobody who comes to the Lord, nobody who comes to God in faith through the Lord Jesus Christ will ever walk away feeling abandoned. They will always experience mercy. They will always experience strength. They will always receive grace to sustain them in their time of need. And so David comes with that confidence. Give ear to my prayer, O God. Hide not thyself from my supplication. Attend unto me and hear me. I mourn in my complaint and make a noise.

Why? Because of the enemy, because of the oppressors of the wicked, for they cast iniquity upon me and in wrath they hate me. so he comes then to that point that that is his casting his burden upon the Lord, to cast a burden. The burden can be translated as a gift, what providence has brought into our lives, what God, who is the God of providence, brings into our lives. It means to cast it back to him. What God has placed into our pathway, it is then to take what he has placed in our pathway and give it back. to him not necessarily physically but to bring it to him in prayer and so this is how David casts this back to the Lord what God allowed into his life providentially with the dealings of the wicked and the dealings of his own son is to take it then back to the throne of grace to take it to God the one who gave it to him is the one who he will give it back to the thing is too heavy for me the thing is too difficult for me, then take it back to the Lord.

The various crosses that we have to carry, whatever they may be, for the Lord's people, bodily affliction, spiritual affliction, family difficulties, and other things that we have to pass through, take them to the Lord. What is our cross today? Are we seeking to bear it alone? Or have we cast our burden upon the Lord? Have we taken it back to the Lord, what he has providentially brought into our pathway? Have we neglected the throne of grace, cast away our confidence and neglected the way of prayer and seeking to carry our burden? by ourselves if you've ever carried anything that is heavy you know over a period of time that thing becomes heavier and heavier and heavier until it's like you're going to going to drop it And so as you feel yourself buckling under the weight, it's then that you cry out asking for somebody to help you. Please help me carry this burden. Please give me the strength to carry this burden.

Well, it's the same with the Lord. The things that he brings into our life, he brings them into our lives. In our providential pathway, he allows things to come in. but therefore we're to take them back to him, we're to ask him for strength, for help, to go on with the weight that has been laid upon us. I think it also comes down to this as well, to acknowledge that it comes from God. Sometimes we can forget that the Lord is in control and think that things have entered into our lives without the Lord knowing so. But it says cast your burden upon the Lord. What the Lord has brought in, take it back to the Lord in prayer.

In Proverbs 16 verse 33 it says, The lot is cast into the lap, the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. A dice cast into the lap, a seemingly insignificant thing as a dice, as a casting of a lot. But even the roll of the dice and the casting of a lot is under the control of God. and we play games like Monopoly and other games like that where you're rolling a dice Who's in control? It's not luck, it's not chance, but it's God. Even in the rolling of a dice, the Lord is in control. And as I've said to you before, having a high view of God helps us to understand and to deal with the providential pathway that we are in. If we understand that the Lord has brought this, that his hand has permitted this to come into my life, then it is easier for us to come back to the Lord and say, Lord, this thing that you have brought into my life is difficult. It is hard for me to carry. I can't continue under its weight.

And as you come to the Lord in prayer, asking for help, you will experience that strengthening, that sustaining. He will never allow you to be moved. You come to God believing that he is able to do what he says he can do. Come to God trusting and resting in his unchanging character, in his nature. Come to God humbly under the knowledge of his will and casting your burden upon the Lord. It says that he shall sustain you. I said to you before, sometimes you don't realise how the Lord does sustain. You cast your burden upon him, asking for help and somehow you have made it to the end of another day, somehow you've made it to the end of another week, sometimes you're able to witness miraculous answers to prayer. There are great provisions that he provides, there are courses of events that change the situation and you see very evidently the Lord's hand appearing in your life and you're able to acknowledge that this is the Lord's doing and it's marvellous in our lives. Sometimes you stand in amazement and see how the Lord is sustaining you and providing for you and helping you.

And so he has many ways by which he sustains his people, but sometimes they're not so dramatic. Sometimes it is just by a word of comfort. Sometimes it is by sweet meditations upon Christ and upon the Lord. Sometimes it is by sweet fellowship with the saints that the people are encouraged, but he has the many ways by which he sustains his people.

You have to remember that the Lord is a sovereign. You also remember that his power is without limit, that there is nothing too hard for the Lord. Nothing shall be called impossible with him. And so it is not a difficult thing for him to sustain you in the trial that he has placed you in. He gives power. and the ability to bear the burdens that he brings into our lives. but we also have to act in that right way. As the Hebrew says, casting not away your confidence, we also have to come boldly to the throne of grace, come with confidence to the throne of grace that we may obtain that power and strength and grace in our times of need.

To sustain means to keep going. Sometimes that is all that we can do. It's just to keep going. We don't see anything dramatic. We can't do anything extraordinary, but we're just living each day at a time. We are sustained by the grace of God, by the strength of God, that he sustains us and keeps us going.

And then he says he will never allow the righteous to be moved. He says here that in verse 8, I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest. Sometimes our lives feel like those storms that we see. As the disciples were on the sea, there was that great storm. And Jesus came to them walking upon the waves, walking across the water. And he spoke a peace be still. As David looked at his life, he felt that it was like a great storm, his own son risen up against him and bringing much opposition and trouble, but he knew where to go. He took it to the Lord and our lives can feel like great storms, but it says, I will never allow the righteous to be moved.

If you think of a great tree that has withstood many, many storms, and the wind, it blows about. And it may look like it's going to fall over, but it stays there. It withstands the storm. It doesn't uproot. It doesn't topple over. And so it is with the Lord's people. they may move under the weight of the circumstances that they pass through, but they don't topple over. They don't truly abandon the faith as we saw this morning. They don't become an apostate. They don't become a demus and run off to the world. No, they stand firm. Why? Because they're grounded upon the rock. Their roots are rooted deep down in the promises of the Word of God and therefore they will never be moved. They will never topple over. because they know that they have a good God who is in heaven, who hears their cry.

David says, as for me, I will call upon God and the Lord shall save me. You see, how he acted in the situation was in a godly manner. He could have rose up in anger, but instead he cast his burden upon the Lord.

sometimes people come into our lives and they bring us problems and the flesh says well let's let's go and deal with it let's go and sort this thing out let's go and uh let's go and settle the matter i will show them who's in charge instead of casting it upon the lord we want to deal with it in our own way david says as for me i'm going to call upon god in the evening and in the morning and at noon I will pray and cry aloud and he shall hear me he hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me for there were many with me cast thy burden upon the Lord.

Also I think this speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ gives us a perfect illustration of this psalm. Now if we say that Absalom is the one that went to the house of the Lord with David, the one whose words were smoother than butter, but his heart but But war was in his heart. His words were softer than oil, yea, they were drawn swords. And then if we see it with the Lord Jesus Christ. And we see how Judas Iscariot, one of his own twelve, rose up against him, lifted up his heel against him, and they walked in the house of the Lord together. They took sweet counsel together. His words were smooth. He approached the Lord Jesus Christ with a kiss, but in his heart was war. His words were smoother than oil, yet they were drawn swords.

We see How the Lord Jesus dealt with that situation. What did he do? He cried unto the Lord. He cast his burden upon the Lord and he was sustained and he wasn't moved. In Luke 22. as the Lord Jesus Christ, before he was crucified, went into the Garden of Gethsemane, onto the Mount of Olives, and he began to pray. Began to pray. said pray ye that you enter not into temptation he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast and kneeled down and prayed and said father if thou be willing remove this cup from me nevertheless not my will but thine be done remember that judas had already gone out to betray the lord jesus christ It was then coming again back to the Lord Jesus Christ to betray him with a kiss.

How is it that Jesus was to deal with this situation? How does he cast his burden upon the Lord? He comes to the throne of grace. He comes to plead with his heavenly father and he asks him that his will would be done. Is that how we come? Is that how we come to the throne of grace? Father, if it is possible, remove this cup from me. I submit to your sovereign will over all things in my life. If it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, My will is so knit together with thy will that I am willing to undergo anything that you want me to go through, but please enable me to do it. Please keep me from abandoning the faith. Please keep me from abandoning the throne of grace, abandoning the word of God.

How did Jesus come? He cast his burden upon the Lord. How was he sustained? that's the promise. Cast thy burden upon the Lord and he shall sustain thee. He shall. That is a promise. That if you come to God and you cast your burden upon him, whether it be your sin, whether it be your providential difficulties, your hardships, your trials, your crosses, Those things you carry for Christ's sake, if you come to cast them upon God, he will sustain you. How did he sustain Jesus? There appeared unto him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. He was strengthened. He was given strength to undergo the trial, the pathway that was the will of the Father, which was the will of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And so God's catalogue of ways of deliverance are innumerable. His providential dealings with the Lord's people over the years has seen untold ways where he has helped them and sustained them. whether it be financially, whether it had been in providing food, whether it had been healing, whether it had been strength to enable them to continue, the Lord is able to do these things. And even if it's to provide an angel to grant you that sufficient strength to keep going, just like the Lord Jesus Christ.

And so he says, he shall sustain thee. and he shall never allow the righteous to be moved. And there Christ, after he is strengthened, he goes on, he continues at the throne of grace. And being in an agony, he prayed more earnestly and his sweat was, as it were, great drops of blood falling to the ground. And so he's unmoved. Yes, physically his body buckles under the pathway, and ours may do as well. Yet spiritually he is sustained to go forward to be betrayed by the Lord Jesus, by Judas himself, and then to be denied by the Apostle Peter, and then to be crucified upon the cross.

Jesus was never uprooted. He was swayed, we could say, in the wind. His flesh was swayed in the wind, just like you and I. But he was never uprooted, because the righteous shall never be moved. Maybe there are times in your life where you feel like you're about to be toppled. You feel like you're about to be uprooted. Well, if you're the Lords, then you can't cry out even harder. And the storms cry out even harder. You think of You think of John Newton as he was in that storm when the Lord began to deal with him and he cries out in the midst of the storm and the Lord saved him. He hears the cries of his people.

Cast thy burden upon the Lord and he shall sustain thee. You shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. Who are these righteous? they're his people, they're his children, they are those in Christ Jesus. David was one of them, they're not perfect, they're not perfect examples of how Christians should be, but they're those with faith, those who come to the Lord and trust in him, those who understand their need of a saviour, those who understand that they have a father that is in heaven. These are the righteous, They're righteous doesn't come from themselves. They've cast off their own righteousness and they are resting in the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And so to these, cast thy burden upon the Lord and he shall sustain thee. And may the Lord add his blessing. Amen.

Our final hymn this afternoon is from Hymns for Worship, 170, to the tune 58.

Soldiers of Christ arise and put your armour on,
strong in the strength which God supplies,
through his eternal Son,
170. The strength which God supplies,
Mary's eternal sun.
Strong in the Lord of hosts, and conqueror.
Steadfast in His great might,
with all His strength endued,
and take to a new, for the fight,
the armoury of God.
still serving in your captive sight
and marching on to pray for strength to strengthen the world always does.

And now by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God the Father, with the fellowship and communion of the Holy Spirit, to be with you each now and forevermore. Amen. Amen.