All right, let's take our Bibles
now and turn to Psalm 26. Psalm 26. Lord willing, after I preach this message,
we'll all have a little bit better understanding of what the Spirit
of God moved writer to say when we realize we don't know what
to pray. God's people pray, but we don't
know what to pray. Thanks be unto God that we have
a great high priest who offers before the throne
the prayers of the saints and declares what they would
say if they could. The Holy Spirit
moved David, scripture says, a man after God's
own heart, to pen a prayer, a prayer that is accepted of
God, only in Him who's worthy. I would like for us to just look
at these 12 verses for a moment, and I want to specifically say
a few things about verse 8. Here is the prayer of our great
intercessor, praying on behalf of his people. And this is what the people of
God say when the Spirit helpeth their
infirmities. This is the Lord Jesus Christ
presenting their prayers before God. And this is what God hears. Psalm 26, one and two. Judge
me, O Lord. For I have walked in mine integrity. I have trusted also in the Lord. Therefore, I shall not slide. Examine me, O Lord, and prove
me. Try my reins and my heart. Vindicate me, is what he's saying. Clear me of blame. For I have walked in my completeness. I've walked in my innocence.
I've trusted in the Lord. Therefore, I shall not slide. I will not slip. I won't totter. I won't shake. Try me, O Lord,
and prove me. Try the seed of my emotion, my
affection. Try my inner man. Now, brethren,
as I read these words, Neil, I thought, this is holy ground
right here. These are words that could never
be spoken by mere man. But when the great high priest, he who has loved his people everlastingly,
who bore their guilt in his own body, put away their debt, and
robes them in his righteousness, and he prays for them, and he
presents What they did not even know to say. Who in this congregation
here is listening? What believer would ever of himself
say that to God? Judge me. Consider me. I have walked in my integrity. Here, the mediator himself, the
husband, the redeemer, presents what you and I would have never
dreamed of. They're accepted in his merit. Verses three to five. For thy
lovingkindness is before mine eyes, and I have walked in thy
truth. I have not set with vain persons,
neither will I go in with dissemblers. I have hated the congregation
of evildoers and will not sit with the wicked. Thy lovingkindness, your faithfulness,
your goodness is before mine eyes. And I have walked, I have
proceeded and lived in a manner of life according to your word. I have not sat, I have not dwelled,
I have not had my abode with vain persons. And neither will
I go in with dissemblers, those that conceal, those that hide,
those who are pretenders. I've not dwelt with those guilty
of sin. You know, when the Lord Jesus
Christ, in the days of His humility, in the days of His flesh upon
this earth, He received sinners. He was a
friend of sinners. He came into this world to save
sinners. But He knew no sin. He knew no sin. David himself could never say
these words because he was, as all men, of himself a sinner. Psalm 51. If you hold your place
right there, just turn over. I'm just going to read the first
three verses. Psalm 51. This is David in himself. Have mercy upon me, O God, according
to thy lovingkindness. according unto the multitude
of thy tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly
from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin, for I acknowledge
my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. That's how
we are in ourselves. But when our great high priest,
he who ever liveth to make intercession for us, takes our prayers in
his merit and in him we have no debt. No debt before the law. We don't owe the law. We're robed
in his righteousness. And he says that which it is. Verse six, I will wash mine hands
in innocency, so will I compass thine altar, O Lord. Oh, how
wonderful to behold our Lord and Savior, our mediator before
God, our great high priest before the throne. Again, David himself
could never plead innocence before God, No believer does, not in
himself, but as David's advocate, one with him. I know, as I've
said before, we're so far over our heads here. We see through
a glass darkly. One of these days, we're going
to know as we're known. We walk right now, we walk and
we see through a glass just like opaque, we see something. Here, the Lord pleading his own
merit for his people. And here's what the Lord says
that in him, his people pray, presenting their prayers. I've
washed my hands, figuratively, what I've done. Believer says, I've never done
anything right. I've never thought anything right. Never spoken anything right.
We all agree. We're all the first to admit
that's us. We're sinners before God. Oh, but when that sin has been
paid for, This cast as far as the East is from the West behind
the back of God and see if he is forgetfulness. And the Lord prays. And says,
as it is. He says, I will wash my hands. Innocence. I will compass thine altar. What was the altar for? Sacrifice.
Sacrifice. When he approached the altar
of God, when he went to the cross, he knew no sin. He was made sin. He was not a
sinner. He was the obedient Lamb of God
made sin and offered himself as a redeemer of his people.
He who is truly holy, harmless, undefiled. He said, I will compass thine
altar, O Lord, that I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving.
Tell of all thy wondrous works. Lord, I have loved the habitation
of thy house and the place where thine honor dwelleth. Oh, he said, I have washed my
hands in innocency when I compass thine altar. I just said when
I when he went to the cross and paid the debt and the debt of
God's people before the law was gone. He finished it. Gone. And when God Almighty seized
the blood, he said, I pass over you. That paid for. No charge, no charge here. Justified
before God. That was done that I may publish
the voice of thanksgiving till all the wondrous works. Oh, we
do so as we preach the glorious gospel. No, no clear sound of
his, of his accomplishment at Calvary through the preaching
of Christ and him crucified. What we do, we said that, that
I may publish, that I may publish, that I may publish. You said,
well, that's his people. That's his preachers publishing
that. He said, I'm publishing that. We are ambassadors. As though God did beseech you
by us. My sheep hear my voice. These
are not my words. I'm not telling you. I'm reading
these words right here. I'm reading what God has to say,
and all I'm doing is expounding it. All I'm doing is giving you
the sense of it. This is not what I came up with.
that I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving and tell of all
thy wondrous works that the Father chose a people.
I didn't know that until the Lord told me in here. I didn't know that. Of all thy
wondrous works that the Lord Jesus Christ laid down His life
for the sheep. I didn't know that until I read
it. The Spirit of God taught. I didn't
know that. And that all that the Father's given him shall
come to him. I thought, would you, no, no,
no, no. Here's what it is. That all that
the Father's given him shall come. They're coming, they're
coming. What do we do? Preach the gospel to them. Just
preach the gospel to them. That's all you, that's what we
do. Go into all the world and preach the gospel. All thy wondrous
works. and that were sealed and kept
by the power of God through faith, ready to be revealed in the last
time. Oh, I've approached your altar, I've come, I've accomplished
your altar. My hands washed in innocency that I may publish
the voice of thanksgiving and tell of all thy wondrous works. Lord, I love, I've loved the
habitation of thy house and the place where thy honor dwelleth.
I'm gonna come back to that in just a minute. I'm gonna just
read these last four, and then we'll make a few statements on
verse eight. Gather not my soul with sinners, or my life with bloody men, and
whose hands is mischief, and their right hand is full of bribes.
But as for me, I will walk in mine integrity. Redeem me, be
merciful unto me, My foot standeth in an even place in the congregations
while I bless the Lord. I was especially drawn to what
he said when he said in verse 11. Redeem me and be merciful unto
me. I would truly desire to be found
among the redeemed. I truly would long to be found
among those that God has been pleased to show mercy. He told
Moses, I will have mercy on whom I'll have mercy. I'll have compassion
on whom I'll have compassion. I would truly desire that, but
do you know what? Even in my redemption and in
my being the recipient of his mercy, again, I don't know how
to ask for that. Now you think about that. Here's
the Lord praying on the behalf of his people. Ask him. And the father, whoever hears
the son, he's saying, redeem me. Well, I thought he was wanting
to redeem his people. People is in union with him,
one with him. And when he says me, he's talking
about his people. Saul, Saul. Why persecutest thou
me? Well, I thought he was persecuting
the Christians. The Lord said, you're persecuting me, that's
me. Redeem me and be merciful unto me. I want to make a couple
of statements, a few statements on verse eight. For Jehovah,
I have loved, the habitation of thine house, and the place
where thine honor dwelleth. Now, for sure, we know that in
this world, that the glorious truth concerning the place, let's
say I said in the world, I mean all heaven and earth, the glorious
place where the honor God. Jehovah, verse 8, Jehovah, I've
loved the habitation of thy house and the place where thine honor
dwelleth. Where does the honor of Jehovah
truly dwell? Let me just read 2 Corinthians
5, verses 18 and 19. And all things are of God, who
hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ and hath given
unto us the ministry of reconciliation. Now my question was where does
the honor of God Jehovah dwell? The next few verses, I mean the
word says to wit that God was in Christ. That's where God's
honor dwelleth. God was in Christ. Reconciling
the world unto himself and not imputing their trespasses unto
them and has committed unto us the word of reconciliation. The Lord Jesus Christ said. I am the way. He doesn't give us a set of rules
and regulations on how he said I am the way. I am the truth
and the life, and no man cometh unto the Father
but by me. Where does the honor of Jehovah
dwell? First, in Christ Jesus, the Lord. He is the door. He's the express
image of the Father. He said to see me is to see the
Father. He is the one in whom the honor,
the glory, the abundance, the riches, the dignity of Jehovah
dwelleth. And the one in whom the honor
of God dwelleth is magnified in this world in that he dwells
within his people. The place where God's honor dwells
is in Christ. And hold your place right there.
Turn to 1 Corinthians 3.6. 1 Corinthians 3.6. I mean 16 1 Corinthians 3 16. The Lord said verse 8. I love the place where thine
honor dwelleth. In Christ. It's all the fullness
of the God. This is all the fullness of the
Godhead bodily. And listen to this. No, you're
not that ye are the temple of God. and that the Spirit of God
dwelleth in you, I love where thine honor dwelleth. Look at 1 Corinthians 6, 19. 6, 19. What? Know ye not that your body
is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have
of God, and you're not your own. Do you not know that? But when
it comes down, we begin to start looking at this thing as we can
behold something of it. I have loved the habitation of
thy house, and the place where thine honor dwelleth. God was
in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself. The Lord is in his people. Know
ye not that you're the temple? You're the temple. Let me just bring it down where I
can understand it a little bit, maybe. When he says, I, I love the place
where thine honor dwelleth. God loves his people. Loves his
people. He loves to be with them. wants
to be with them. Where two or three are gathered
together in my name, I'm in the midst of you, I'm with you. Don't
you love to be with people that you bond with? Where two or three are gathered
together, come together, meet together, there am I in the midst
of them. He loves the place where God's
honor dwells. I'm so appreciative of this building
right here. Beautiful building. All the work,
sweat that was put into building this. What a beautiful building.
I really appreciate this building. But here's the place where God's
honor dwells. Here's where God's honor dwells.
Where he's honored himself in the redemption of his people.
And I'll tell you this, he loves it and God's people love it too.
In John 13, John 13, 35, by this, shall all men know you're
my disciples. You have love one for another.
The Lord said, I love where your honor dwelleth. God's people
do too. I love where God's honor dwelleth,
right there. God's people love each other. All we, we meet together, the
Lord's raised up places. And again, I'm not talking about
brick and mortar. I'm talking about saints, where
God raises up a place, an assembly of believers, part, his body. And it, this is, it sets forth
the fellowship that the Lord has with his people and we have
with one another. This is how, this is how it's
declared. And we don't take it lightly
or carelessly. It's a place, it's an assembly
of serious devotion where the gospel is preached, where the
Lord is magnified through the truth. That message that is absolutely
essential to salvation, Paul said, I'm not ashamed of the
gospel of Christ. It's the power of God unto salvation to everyone
that believe it, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. In closing, turn over to Acts 2, Acts 2,
where true fellowship is beheld. The Lord has been pleased to
do something for a group of people. Acts chapter 2, let me tell you.
Let's just look at the book of Acts. I'll just read a few verses
here. I'm going to read Acts 2, verses 41, 47. Here's the spirit, here's the
spirit of God's people. Didn't they that gladly, no,
I'm sorry, yeah, didn't they that gladly received his word
were baptized? Not for salvation, but because
of it, confessing. And the same day there were added
unto them about 3,000 souls and they continued steadfastly in
the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, breaking the bread in prayers.
And fear, respect came upon every soul Many wonders and signs were
done by the apostles, and all that believed were together,
and had all things common, and sold their possessions and goods
and parted them to all men as every man had need, and they
continuing daily with one accord. You see, you notice the togetherness
here? I love the place of your habitation,
where you're honored dwelling, up there. And they continuing
daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from
house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness
of heart, praising God, and having favor with all men. And the Lord
added to the church daily such as should be saved. What were
they doing? Old Peter and a group of men
standing over there on the day of Pentecost, and they were preaching
the gospel, bread, and God blessed it. And God blessed it. That's
what happened. where he's honored, where the
Spirit of God blesses the salvation of God's sheep, where the scriptures
are faithfully proclaimed, and the sheep feast spiritually upon
the bread of heaven. The hearts of God's people truly
burn within, and they're thankful. They're thankful for the privilege
to be able to come together, me, David, Said Psalm 122, I
was glad when they said to me, let's go to the house of the
Lord. Let's go worship God. I pray the Lord bless this to
our hearts for Christ's sake. Amen.