Open your Bibles back to Psalm
138. Title of the message this evening comes
from verse 7. David writes here, though I walk
in the midst of trouble. Though I walk in the midst of
trouble. Brother Henry once wrote, he
said, a man or a woman who claims continual uninterrupted joy,
continual uninterrupted rest, Continual, uninterrupted peace
in this world is either not telling the truth or has no connection with reality. True joy, rest, and peace are
things we enjoy in Christ in the midst of trouble. in the midst of affliction, in
the midst of infirmity. God's Word declares in this world,
John 16, 33, in this world ye shall have tribulation, trouble,
affliction, trouble, for a number of reasons. One, trouble is a
result of Adam's fall. Turn to Genesis 3. Genesis 3, look, beginning with
verse 17. The Lord spake, and He said unto
Adam, He said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy
wife, and hast eaten of the tree of which I commanded thee, saying,
Thou shalt not eat of it. Cursed is the ground for thy
sake. In sorrow shalt thou eat of it
all the days of thy life. Thorns also and thistles shall
it bring forth to thee, and thou shalt eat the herb of the field,
and the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return
to the ground. That's gonna continue until we
go into the ground. For out of it we were taken,
for the dust thou art, and dust thou shalt return. We experience trouble, as a result
of sin. Guilt. The guilt of sin. Trouble
for the sake, listen, of the gospel. Those that believe Christ,
those that believe the true gospel of His grace are going to endure
persecution. They're going to be hated. They're going to be oppressed.
Paul writing to Timothy, he said, persecutions afflictions which
came unto me at Antioch, and at Iconium, and at Lystra, what
persecutions I endured." But here's the good news. He says,
out of them all, the Lord delivered me. Turn to Matthew 10. Matthew chapter 10. Look beginning with verse 34.
Our Lord speaking, he says, think
not that I am come to send peace on earth. I came not to send
peace, but a sword. For I'm come to set a man at
variance against his father. the daughter against her mother,
the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a man's foes
shall be they of his own household. And he that loveth father or
mother more than me is not worthy of me. And he that loveth son
or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh
not his cross and followeth after me is not worthy of me. He that
findeth his life shall lose it, And he that loses his life for
my sake shall find it trouble as a result of sin." Trouble
as a result of this gospel. If you don't think that's true,
next time you're in the lunchroom, bring up God's sovereignty. That God is absolutely sovereign. in creation, in providence, and
in salvation. That doesn't go very far with
men. Total depravity, that man is
absolutely dead in trespasses and sin. Election, election that God chose a people
in Christ from before the foundation of the world, and that he's going
to make them just like his son. Justification. Not by the works
of man, but by the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Regeneration. Listen, the work
of the Spirit giving life into a dead sinner. Perseverance of
the saints. God saves a man or a woman. That
man or woman is saved eternally. That doesn't go well in this
world in which we live. We love these truths. We rejoice
them, but the world does not. Trouble. Trouble in this spirit. Trouble in this flesh. often
of our own making. We've seen that last week in
the children of Israel. Remember that when they, instead
of justifying and praising God for His judgment, what did they
do? Murmured. Murmured against the
Lord. Murmured against His way. Murmured
against His word. Murmured against His servants.
We want our way, don't we? Scripture says, all we like sheep
have gone astray. We've turned everyone to our
own way. We walk in the midst of trouble. Paul speaking in 2 Corinthians
7-5, he said, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had
no rest. we were troubled on every side. Without, we're fighting. Within,
we're fierce. And the believer experiences
these times. And sometimes they're on display
for what seems the whole world to just sit back and be an audience
to troubles without. And at other times, they're seen
but no one but the believer himself. Trouble, trouble within. We walk, walk in the midst of
trouble. We're surrounded by it. We'll
turn back to Psalm 138. Verse seven, though I walk in
the midst of trouble, thou will revive me. The Lord. The Lord will revive
me. Are you in trouble? A time of
trouble? Listen to these words, the Lord
will revive me. That word revive, it means to
quicken. To give life. In particular,
it means to give life from sickness, from discouragement, from faintness,
from death. Almighty God comforts. He refreshes. He encourages. He gives strength to those who
are His. that are depressed and in a time
of trouble. He comforted me. He will revive
me. And though the Lord chastens
his people from time to time, puts them through great trial
and great suffering, he does so for our good and the fulfillment
of his purpose. You know, at times he even allows
the enemy to try them, just as he did with Job. But take comfort
in this, even in those times of trouble, Scripture says he
will never leave and he will never forsake his people. He gives grace, he sustains and
comforts his people. Listen to these words from 2
Corinthians 1. Grace be to you and peace from
God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be God, even
the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of all mercies,
the God of all comfort, who comforteth us in all tribulation, that we
may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort
wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God." Have you ever been just
overtaken by trouble and you just wonder, what's the Lord's
purpose in this? And sometimes we see it, sometimes
we don't, but then some time passes by and someone finds themselves
in that same trouble. God's sheep are able to comfort,
comfort them through the comfort that God has given. Though I
walk in the midst of trouble, the Lord will revive me. Do you ever find yourself there, walking in the midst of trouble? If not today, someday, someday
you will. But know this, this word for
believers, this promise for God's sheep, when that time comes,
take comfort knowing this, the Lord is with His people. The great shepherd of the sheep,
he's never far from his flock. Turn to Isaiah 43. Isaiah 43,
verse one. But now thus saith the Lord that
created thee, O Jacob, he that formed thee, O Israel, fear not, for I have redeemed thee. I have
called thee by thy name. Thou art mine. When thou passest
through the waters, I'll be with thee. Through the rivers, they
shall not overflow thee. When thou walkest through the
fire, Thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle
upon thee, for I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel,
thy Savior. I gave Egypt for thy ransom,
Ethiopia and Seba for thee." Well, take comfort in this. Listen
to this. Fear not, I have redeemed thee. The Lord Jesus Christ has redeemed
His people, redeemed us by His blood, redeemed us by His righteousness,
delivered us from the curse of the law, taken away our sin. There is therefore now... I love this passage of Scripture.
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ.
who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit. Fear not. I have called thee by thy name."
That's not just any call. That's a divine call. The Lord's
speaking here. He said, I called thee. And it's
a personal call, isn't it? How'd he call us? I call thee
by thy name. Fear not, thou art mine." He
is. I'm a child of the king. Thou art mine. He said, you belong
to me. And though I walk in the midst
of trouble, The Lord will revive me. He said when you pass through
the waters, times of trouble, times of sickness, times of sorrow,
what does He say there? I will be with you. The rivers, they're not going
to overwhelm you, they're not going to destroy you. He said
when you walk through the fire, the temptation of this world,
times of persecution and disappointment, The Lord tries His people with
fiery trials. He said, you're not going to
be burned. You're not going to be consumed. I'll be with you. Listen to these two things here.
I'll be with you. And then He says this, you're
going to pass through them. That means these things are temporary.
Turn back to our text, Psalm 138. Though I walk in the midst of
trouble, thou wilt revive me, thou shalt stretch forth thy
hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall
save me. His right hand. His power. Remember back there when Judas
received that band of men and officers and chief priests and
they came into that garden to take our Lord and they came with
lanterns and pitchforks and weapons and torches, all that, and the
Lord asked this question. He just asked a simple question.
He said, Whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth.
And the Lord spoke to them. Imagine His power. He spoke to
them in power. And He said, I am He. And when He spoke those words, they
fell backward, didn't they? They went backward and fell to
the ground. And He asked again, they said,
Whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth.
And He answered them. And He said, I told you, I'm
He. And if you seek me, let these my sheep." Let him go. Let him
go. He spoke in power and he delivered
his people. Scripture says this, none, speaking
of his hand, none can stay his hand. Though I walk in the midst
of trouble, thou wilt revive me. Thou wilt stretch forth thy
hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall
save me. Might be good to commit that
to memory. I wonder, I was reading that, I wonder how many times
did David recite that in the face of the enemy? in times of
trouble. You know, when he went out there
to battle Goliath, that Philistine, he mocked him. But listen to
David's words. David said this, he said, you
come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a shield, but
I come before you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God
of the armies of Israel. whom you've defiled. This day,
David said this to this warrior. He said, this day will the Lord
deliver thee into my hand. and I'll smite thee, and I'll
take thy head from thee, and I'll give the carcasses of the
host of the Philistines this day to the fowls of the air and
the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know there's
a God, there's a God in Israel. And all the assembly shall know
that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear, for the battle
is the Lord's. and He'll give me into your hands.
In Psalm 23, David wrote, Yea, though I walk through the valley
of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. How can you say
that, David? For thou art with me. Thy right hand shall save me. Well, back to our text, Psalm
138. Quickly, let's look at verse
Verse 8, he said, the Lord will perfect
that which concerneth me. Thy mercy, O Lord, endureth forever. Forsake not the works of thine
own hands. The Lord will perfect that which
concerneth me. I ask you this, has the Lord
given you an interest in this gospel, in His gospel? Only He can. No man, no man can
come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him. And I'll raise him up at the
last day. Would you trust in Him alone? for the salvation of your soul?
This thing of perfection, it's pretty important. God's
Word says this, it must be perfect to be accepted. And by nature,
not one of us, not one of us is capable of being perfect. Scripture says this, all have
sinned and come short of the glory of God." I want you to
look at these seven words. I want you to look at them carefully.
And I'll ask you this, does it say this, speaking of myself,
I will be perfect, I'll make myself perfect in that which
concerneth me. Is that what it says? It says, the Lord will perfect
that which concerneth me. Listen to this passage of Scripture
from the book of Jude. It says, Now unto him that is
able to keep you from falling, and to present you, how faultless,
before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. What am I to do? What's a man
to do? Just as Israel did at the command
of Moses, don't do a thing, stand still and see the salvation of
the Lord. The Lord will perfect that which
concerneth me by His Son. Listen to these words from Hebrews
10, 14. It says, by one offering, the offering of the Lord Jesus
Christ, by one offering, he hath perfected forever. Them that are sanctified, them
that are set apart. And then the psalmist says this,
thy mercy, O Lord, endureth forever. It cannot be exhausted. One of the old hymn writers,
I think, she said it best. His love has no limit. His grace no measure. His power
no boundary known unto man. For out of his infinite riches
in Jesus, he giveth and he giveth and he giveth again. Thy mercy
endureth forever. Maybe you say this, but my sin,
oh, my sin is so great. That's true. But His mercy endureth
forever. Maybe you say, my faith, my faith
is so weak. That's true. but his mercy endureth forever. I've fallen, I've fallen over
and over and over again. How many times have I been a
disappointment? His mercy endureth forever. And any other objection that
we might find He says, His mercy endureth forever. Our Lord said this, He that believeth
on me hath. Not will have or could earn,
hath. Hath everlasting life. Well, do you still have Psalm
138? Forsake not the work of thy hands." His sovereign hand, that hand
which is never removed from his children, his hand. With that same hand
that he wrought salvation, he purchased salvation. Where does that leave me? A sinner. A sinner in the hands
of a God who can do with me as He pleases. Scripture says this,
He's the potter and I'm the clay. But this reference to His hands,
I'm so thankful for it because listen, what an amazing thing that on
His hands, our names are written. He said, I've graven thee upon
the palms of my hands, those same hands of which those nails
were driven through on the cross. O Lord, forsake not the work
of thy hands. As I was preparing this message,
I couldn't help but think of back there in the Old Testament,
remember Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego? I think it's safe to
say they were walking in the midst of trouble. Remember that
they refused to bow down to a false god. And the king had his mighty
men, his army it says, bind them and cast them into the furnace But you know in all that the
Lord was with them." Verse 24 of Daniel 3, it says this, that
the king was astonished and he said, didn't we just cast three
men into the furnace? Lo, I see four. And the fourth is like the Son
of God. What we read there, thy right
hand shall save me. And if you read on in verse 27,
it says of these men, on these men the fire had no power, not
a hair singed, their coats weren't changed, they didn't even have
the smell of fire on them. He blessed God. He said, blessed
be God who sent his angel and delivered his servants. And he went on to say this, there is no other God that can
deliver after this sort. There's none like him. Let me read this in closing from
Psalm 138. though I walk in the midst of
trouble, thou wilt revive me. Thou shalt stretch forth thy
hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall
save me. The Lord, the Lord, who? The Lord, he will perfect that
which concerneth me. Thy mercy, O Lord, endureth forever. Forsake not the works of thine
own hands. I pray the Lord would use these
words, his word, to comfort, to edify, to exalt his great
name. All right. Isaac.