I'm going to ask you to take
your Bibles and turn with me to the book of Psalms chapter
37, Psalm 37. I try to study ahead and knowing
that we're going through certain books and try to prepare and
get my mind seeking the Lord's direction for the spirit of the
message. And then there's times that I'll
get something on my mind, and you can't get it off your mind,
and I've hopefully come to the conclusion that this is the passage
that the Lord would have me preach from. And I was directed to this
passage of scripture a couple of days ago and had it heavily
on my mind as I began to look. And I'd like to consider the
first four verses of Psalm 37. And I've entitled this message,
What I Truly Desire. You know, we're living in a world
that is just obviously wicked. It's just wicked. Wickedness abounds. And in this psalm, three times
in the whole psalm, I'm not going to deal with just four verses,
but three times in this psalm we're exhorted to fret not thyself. That's how this verse one starts
off. Fret not thyself because of evil doers. Don't grieve over
it. And I do. I need to hear this. Don't grieve
over, don't be angry unnecessarily. Be angry and sin not. I hate,
you know, but don't grieve concerning what appears to be out of control.
It's not. Remember, all things, I need to hear this now, all
things work together for good. To them that love God, to them
who are the called according to his purpose. You mean everything
that I see going on in this world? That's right. And we know all
things. Remember that the world's attitude
toward God and toward God's church, and let me tell you something.
Let me tell you what all the evil in this world is aimed toward. The Lord and His church. It's
all against God's people because it's all against God. All transgression
is against the Lord. We're going to suffer. We're
going to be tried. We're going to be tested. But
we're going to be victorious in Christ. Threat not thyself because of
evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity,
for they shall soon be cut down like the green grass and wither
as the green herbs." Don't grieve yourself over looking around
and it appears as though that Everybody else is just prospering,
doing fine. Everybody's doing great. I mean,
just things are looking up and up, and I mean, here I am struggling. Here I am suffering. There's
some churches that we know of, and they're going through some
trials and tribulations, and they're having some hard times,
and it seems like everybody else is just doing great. Don't fret
yourself over it. Why? Because they're going to
soon be cut down. Like the grass, they're going
to wither as the green herb. Pray for them. Pity them. But don't fret over them. Listen,
we're going to all stand before God. Now that's just a fact.
We're going to stand before the Lord in Revelation 20. Here's
the account. Revelation 20 verses 11 to 15. He said, I saw a great white
throne and him that sat on it from whose face the earth and
the heaven fled away and there was found no place for them.
That is to hide. And I saw the dead, small and
great, stand before God. And the books were opened. Another
book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged
out of those things which were written in the books according
to their works. The sea gave up the dead which
was in it. The dead in hell delivered up the dead which were in them.
They were judged, every man, according to their works. And
death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. And this is
the second death. Whosoever was not found written
in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. The psalmist says, don't fret
over it. Don't fret. They're going to be cut down.
Verse 3 says, trust in the Lord and do good. So shalt thou dwell
in the land and verily thou shalt be fed. Here's the help, the remedy for
fretting. Place your confidence in the
Lord. Now, I need to hear that. I need
to hear that. Trust in the Lord and do good. That is, do that which is beautiful,
best, What is it? Trust in the Lord. Trust in the
Lord and do good. Trusting in the Lord is right.
Trust in the Lord, so shalt thou dwell in the land that is kept
and maintained by the Lord in this world. He said there, he
prayed to his father in his high priesthood prayer, John 17, he
said, Father, I don't pray that you take them
out of the world, but I pray that you keep them from the evil. Keep them. Trust in the Lord,
so shalt thou dwell in the land, thou shalt be fed. The Lord has given us another
day. The Lord has given us another day to hear the truth. This may
be the last time we ever meet together, I don't know. but we
got this morning. We're going to be fed this morning,
fed faithfully, fed securely, kept by the power of God, trust
in the Lord, and do good, do right, trust Him. Philippians
1.27 says, only let your conversation be as becometh the gospel of
Christ. Let you walk. Conduct yourself
in a way that is becoming to the gospel that we believe. Walk trusting the Lord. I tell you this, that scripture,
faithful is he that calleth you who shall also do it. Lord, do
it for me. Do it for me because I'm weak. Delight thyself, verse 4, also
in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Don't fret. Don't fret. Trust in the Lord. Delight thyself
in the Lord. It's so easy to miss, just miss
a little word. I was, again, I was going over
my notes. If you'd seen my notes that many
times, you know, delight thyself, and this morning I was going
over this and I looked and I saw the word also. It says delight
thyself. It could have said delight thyself
in the Lord, but it doesn't say that. It says delight thyself
also. You know, and I got to thinking,
delight thyself also, what, as if there's something else too?
Delight thyself also? So I looked the word up. Again,
often is what the word means. Delight thyself again. Delight
thyself often in the Lord. Strive often. Strive again. I need to strive again. I need
to delight myself often in the Lord. Delighting myself in the
Lord, that's the vitality of the elect. The joy of the Lord
is my strength. Resting in Him who is my uplifter. Delighting myself in the Lord
expels fear. Fear, being afraid, and trusting
the Lord, they can't coexist. Yea, though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death, this word, I will fear no evil. Why? Because thou art with me. Now, I know we struggle. I know we struggle, but I'm going
to tell you something. Delighting ourselves in the Lord casts fear out. This is a joy that no man can
take away. You may take away my possessions,
you may take away my life, but you can't take away the joy of
a believer. That's like telling, I remember years ago I heard
Brother Henry say this, he said they took prayer out of schools.
He said, how do you take prayer out of schools? If somebody wants
to pray, I can pray right now and you don't even know it. Calling
on the Lord right now and you don't know it. Delight thyself. That's internal. Delight thyself. Again, often
in the Lord. And this is where I want to stay
for just a few minutes. And he shall give thee the desires
of thine heart. Delight thyself in the Lord,
and he shall give thee the delights, the delights, The delights of Vineheart. Desires, I'm sorry,
I said delights. Desires of Vineheart. What do
I desire? What do I truly desire? I jotted down 11 things that
I truly pray that I desire. I want to. I want to desire this. Here's the first thing I thought
about. I pray that I desire that I may
know Him and the power of His resurrection
and the fellowship of His sufferings being made conformable unto His
death. This is life eternal that they
may know Thee. I desire this. It's what I want.
I want to know Him. I truly do. I know something
about the doctrines of grace. I know that I know that. I know
total depravity and unconditional election and particular redemption,
limited atonement, irresistible grace and preservation of the
saints. I know those five doctrines. I want to know the grace of those
doctrines. I want to know Him. That I may
know Him. I want to know the Lord. Delight
thyself also in the Lord, He shall give thee the desires of
mine heart. Oh, that I might know Him. Secondly,
I want to be found in Him. I want to be found in Him. Here's
what Paul prayed. And be found in Him, not having
mine own righteousness which is of the law, but that which
is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of
God by faith. Found. And be found in Him. Here's what the word is. And be seen. Be perceived. that I might be seen in the Lord. I desire that when I stand before
God, Noah found grace in the eyes
of the Lord. God saw Noah in Christ. God saw Noah in Christ, in the
eyes of the Lord. God saw him. God put him there. God saw him. God kept him. I
tell you what I desire. When I stand before God, and
we all going to, that I might be found in Him. Trust in Him. Waiting on Him. That I might
know Him. Be found in Him. And here's the
third thing. I desire to be a peacemaker. A peacemaker. You know why? Listen to this. Matthew 5, 9. Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they shall be called the children of God. The children of God are called
peacemakers. I want that. I desire to be one
that strives after peace. Philippians 2, 3. I jotted this
scripture down. Let nothing be done through strife
or vain glory, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem other
better than himself." I want to look and strive to seek your
betterment and esteem you to be better than me. There's one
that believes God more than I believe God. Oh, that I'd believe him. But there's one that walks faithfully,
truthfully, strive. Things done through strife and
contentions are not being done through the leadership of God's
Spirit. I desire to be a peacemaker because they're called the children
of God. Fourthly, I desire for the Lord
to set a watch before my mouth and to keep the door of my lips,
because of the hurt that it causes." James chapter 3, James 3, verses
5 to 10. James says, even so the tongue
is a little member, it boasteth great things. Behold how great
a matter a little fire kindleth. And the tongue is a fire, a world
of iniquity. So is the tongue among our members
that it defileth the whole body and setteth on fire the course
of nature, and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beast,
birds, serpents, things of the sea is tamed. They don't talk
about each other, that's what he said. And have been tamed
of mankind. But the tongue can no man tame. It is an unruly evil, full of
deadly poison. Therewith, bless we God, even
the Father, and therewith curse we men, which are made after
the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth
blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought
not so to be." I pray that God put a watch on my mouth. I can't
say something with this tongue and not affect my hands. It affects
my whole body. I was talking to a dear friend
the other day, a pastor in another state, and we were both admitting,
just saying, you know what, I wish I'd just keep my mouth shut and
just be quiet. I desire to be a gracious encourager
to God's people. I really started to put these
two together, but I didn't. I want to be a gracious encourager. I need encouraging. I beat myself up for everything,
Ben. I beat myself up for everything.
I didn't do this. I should have done that. I should
have been here. I should have done that. I get
through preaching and I drive home depressed. It takes me a day to try to get
over it. I just need encouraging. This is a lonely place right
here. Lord, help me. Stay with me.
Help me. You have no idea. the burdens
that a pastor finds himself. Most of them are self-inflicted,
I'm sure, but I want to be an encourager to God's people. Colossians
6, verse 4 said, let your speech be always with grace. Boy, do I ever need to hear that.
Let your speech always, always, always, be with grace, seasoned
with salt, the preserving truth of the gospel of God's free grace,
that you may know how you ought to answer every man." If somebody
has something to say about somebody, you know, I'd say, you know what,
let's pray for them. You know, I told you about Brother Scott,
me opening my big mouth one day. Somebody had said something that
just so disappointed me and I said, Brother Scott, what do you think
about this? Silly me, I told him what it was. It was his answer. Lord will teach him. And I thought,
you know, man, I'm telling you, that was just like stripes across
my back and my heart. Lord will teach you. Pray for
him. Pray for him. When I have something to say,
let me remember that which I heard Brother Henry say. Is it true? Is it true? Well, if it's true,
is it kind? Is it necessary? Boy, I tell
you what, that will nip a whole lot of what I say in the bud.
Sixly. I desire to be found praying
for you. I desire. I love this passage
of scripture. Philippians chapter 1 verses
3 to 6. Paul the Apostle writing to the
church at Philippi said, I thank my God upon every remembrance
of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all, making requests
with joy. For your fellowship in the gospel
from the first day until now, being confident of this very
thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform
it until the day of Jesus Christ. I want to be praying for you.
I do. Samuel said, in 1 Samuel 12,
23, moreover, as for me, God forbid that I should sin against
the Lord in ceasing to pray for you. Pray for you. I told you
before, God is my witness. I try to pray calling every one
of your names daily before the Lord. Asking the Lord blessing,
asking the Lord to guide us and direct us and keep us. 1 Thessalonians
5.25 says, Brethren, pray for us. Pray for us. Ask the Lord's
guidance. Number seven, I desire to be
found faithful to God's calling. 1 Corinthians 4, 2, Moreover
it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful. The Lord has entrusted me to
be a pastor. It's required that I be found
faithful, faithful, faithful. I don't want to just take up
space. I don't want to be a burden.
I don't. May I be found faithful, faithful
to pray for you, calling upon the Lord, faithful to study,
to give my life, to spend and be spent. This life is but a
vapor. I'm going to die. I'm going to
die. Lord, help me not to come to
the end of my life thinking back on the foolishness of being unfaithful. I want to be. His command to
me is, delight thyself in the Lord. He's going to give me the
desires of my heart. Here's number eight. I desire
to have a spirit of forgiveness. You know, that's a sobering thought. And here's the thing that makes
it so sobering to me. I'm telling you, these things
right here, I'm preaching to me. You're just able to listen
in. I desire to have a spirit of
forgiveness. In Matthew chapter 6, our Lord
was teaching his disciples to pray. And part of that prayer, it says,
and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. That's the only part of that
model prayer that the Lord expounded on. That's the only part. It was all, you know, thy kingdom
come, thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this
day our daily bread. Then he said, and forgive us
our debts as we forgive our debtors. And he expounded on that part.
And this is what he said, for if ye forgive men their trespasses,
your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if ye forgive
not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your
trespasses." And that is awfully sobering. Here's why. I know, first of
all, that my forgiveness before Him is not predicated on me forgiving
somebody else first. I know that. I'm thankful for
that. I know this, that Almighty God
forgave our debts before they ever occurred, having chosen
us in Christ that we should be holy and without blame before
Him in love. I know that. I know that. He
forgave His people eternally. having viewed them, seen them
in Christ. I know that He forgave our debts when Christ's blood
was shed. When I see the blood, I'll pass
over you. I know this, He forgives us daily. As we confess our sins, 1 John
1, 9. If we confess our sins, He's faithful and just to forgive
us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. So
I know this, that He forgives His people. I know that. I'm
thankful for that. And having forgiven His people
in regenerating grace, He gives them a new heart. It's created in righteousness.
It's a new heart. It's a heart that sinneth not. It doesn't sin. That which is born of God sinneth
not. Where there is found a heart of forgiveness, And I looked
it up. I looked up forgive. It means
to remove or to let go of the offense. I'm just not going to,
I'm just, I'm just, just let it go. Let it go. Not that it
didn't occur, because it did. If it didn't occur, there'd be
nothing to forgive. I've sinned against God. I've
sinned against God. And I sin against God daily.
I need forgiveness right now. I need it. I need the Lord to
let it go. And He has in the person of His
Son. I know that. But where there's
found a spirit of forgiveness, God's given a new heart. But
according to the word of our Lord, if you forgive men their
trespasses, because there's a new heart there, your Heavenly Father
will also forgive you. But if you forgive not men, if
you don't let it go, You don't let it go. If you forgive not
men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your
trespasses. Brother Henry said this, I looked
up, I wanted to see what he had to say. He said, where there
is found a heart or spirit of unforgiveness, there is biblical
proof to say that forgiveness from the Lord has never been
experienced. Be ye kind one to another, tender
hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake
has forgiven you. If the Lord's forgiven me, I
won't forgive you. I'm asking you to forgive me.
Forgive me. I walk in ways that needs forgiving. Number nine. I desire to endure
to the end. I want to endure to the end.
Why? Because he that endureth to the
end shall be saved. He's going to have to keep me,
but I desire that he keep me, because I can't keep myself.
Number ten, I desire to be found hearing the gospel. Why? Because faith cometh by
hearing. And hearing by the Word of God.
And without faith, it's impossible to please God. So Lord, I desire
to be consistently under the sound of the Gospel. I want that. I desire that. And then lastly, can all be summed up in these
last two statements I'm about to make. I desire to believe
God. Abraham believed God. Not that
he believed in God, he did believe in God, but he believed God.
Mark 16, 16, he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. The evidence is that he believed
God. But he that believeth not shall
be damned. And listen to this, Psalm 27
4. One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after,
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my
life, to behold the beauty, the delight of the Lord, and to inquire
in His temple. Delight thyself also in the Lord,
and He'll give thee the desires of thy heart. I want that. There's
some evidences there of a believer. And I want that. I want to know
Him. I want to be found in Him. I want to be a peacemaker. I
want to be a forgiving believer. For Christ that He's forgiven
me, I want to be forgiven. I want to trust Him. I want to
walk in Him. I want to hear the Gospel. Lord,
help us. Keep us for Thy name's sake.