Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of Psalms, chapter 34. Psalm 34. I would like to look this morning
at the first five verses of Psalm 34. I began reading this psalm, and
I noticed right up above, just before the psalm starts, it says
the psalm of David, when he changed his behavior before Abimelech,
who drove him away, and he departed. Let me just read that for you,
what actually happened. Or in 1 Samuel 21, verses 10-15,
this is what happened. David arose, the Scripture said,
and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish king
of Gath. And the servants of Achish said
unto him, Is not this David the king of the land? Did they not
sing one to another of him, and dances, saying, Saul hath slain
his thousands, and David his ten thousands? And David laid
up these words in his heart. and were sore afraid of Achish,
the king of Gath. And he changed his behavior before
them, and feigned himself mad in their hands and scrabbled
on the door he scratched. The gate let his spittle fall
down upon his beard. Then Achish said to his servants,
Lo, see this man is mad. Wherefore then have you brought
him to me? Have I need of madmen that ye
have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence? Shall
this fellow come into my house?" David was afraid. He thought,
if I don't do something, I'm going to perish here. They're going to kill me. Now, with that thought in mind,
this psalm right here was written, penned, at the hand of David. It says the psalm of David. David
penned this. And I consider and know for a
fact that based upon the inspiration of God's Spirit, that I can truthfully
understand and see the heart of a believer desiring to say
these words, thinking upon the Lord, desiring forgiveness, I
can understand that. But knowing something of the
frailty of my heart, and knowing how even when I desire, to ask
the Lord's forgiveness, to seek the Lord, to bless the Lord,
thank Him for His mercy and grace. Let me tell you what gives me
great comfort. It's knowing that there is One
who is our great High Priest, who prays for us who intercedes
for us, there is a man in glory right now that ever liveth to
make intercession for us. There is one that the Father
Jehovah Himself hears. For our sake, He hears Him. For Christ's sake, He accepts
us. And in our desire to bless, praise
the Lord, and thank the Lord, even in that, I'm not able to. I want to. I truly want to. But I want us to look for a few
minutes at these first five verses of Scripture. And while we look
at them, I want you to consider these words being prayed by our
federal head, the Lord Jesus Christ. And praying these words
for our sake. And God Almighty accepting these
words of the heart and the mouth of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself,
who even right now sits at the right hand of the throne of Almighty
God. until God the Father makes all
of His enemies to be His footstool. Here is the Lord Jesus Christ
praying for those that the Father chose in electing grace. Here is the Lord Jesus Christ
who said, I'll never leave you. I'll never forsake you. And here
are words that I would desire to say. I pray, O Lord, I wish
I could save these with a heart, a consistent heart. But there's
one that prays these words. And you consider these words
coming from His lips for our sake. The Scripture sets forth
and says in verse 1, I will bless the Lord at all times. I know this for a fact. I know
that the Lord is worthy to be blessed at all times. Psalm 18
and verse 3, this is what the scripture says, I will call upon
the Lord who is worthy to be praised, so shall I be saved. from my enemies. I know that
He's worthy to be praised. But the problem with me is that
because there's an old nature about me that resists and wars
and strives, and I'm so inconsistent, I would desire to pray those
words. But I know this, the Lord, the
God-Man Mediator, One that was made in the likeness of sinful
flesh. He who came into this world as
the representative of His people, He could pray those words right
there. And I know this, in Him, God accepts those words on my
behalf. For Christ's sake. I will bless
the Lord. I will. Bless the Lord. That is His desire, the will
of our blessed Savior, fixed upon obedience and praise to
His Father. I will. This is my desire. This is my desire. This is my
pleasure. He who knew and knows even now
perfectly to whom praise is due. And those for what praise is
due, and when praise is due, proclaim, I will bless the Lord
at all times. I don't even know what to thank
the Lord for. I don't even know what to ask. I don't know what to be. I don't
know what to say. To will, Paul says, is present
with me. But how to accomplish that which
I would? I don't know, but he does. I will bless the Lord at all
times, every thought, every word, every action, every situation,
under every circumstance, at every providential direction,
that Jehovah, Almighty God, is due praise, the Lord Jesus Christ. It says, unto Him who works all
things after the counsel of His own will. What has Almighty God
done this morning in getting you here? What did God Almighty
keep me from? What? I walked down just a few
minutes ago, One of the lights was out in
the kitchen. One of the fluorescent lights
was out. I went downstairs and was going
to pull a few of those light bulbs out of the fluorescent
thing. One of them fell over and popped. It flew glass on me right there
just a few minutes ago. And I thought to myself, Lord,
thank you that I've still got eyes. Lord, thank You that I'm
still standing here, that I'll still be able to preach according
to Your will, purposely. Immediately it went through my
mind. I don't even know what to thank the Lord for. I have
no idea, but to the Lord Jesus Christ, I will bless the Lord
at all times. If all my friends forsake me,
If my health is such that I'm confined to a bed, if my worldly
possessions be removed as Job's was, the Scripture says, his
praise shall continually be in my mouth. My friend, there are
times that I, because of the foolishness of my old man that
still resides, I'll question. I'll think, now why did that?
You've got to be kidding me. I can't believe that happened.
What a man! His praise shall continually
be in my mouth. Lord, thank You that for my good
and Your glory, that the Lord Jesus Christ will pray this.
I will bless the Lord in all times. His praise shall continually
be in my mouth. Lord, thank You that the Father
would accept those words on my behalf. That I'm accepted in
you, in the Beloved. My soul shall make her boast
in the Lord. Boasting here refers to that
upon which a man places all of his value. Boasting. Speaking well of. That which
is most prominent It is mine and that which gives him the
most pleasure. That's what boasting is talking
about right here. Now if left to me, this is what
I'd boast in. I'd boast in my knowledge, my
health, my wealth, my self-righteousness. Would I not? Would you not? Do
we not? But oh, hear the testimony of
him who knows the Father, everlastingly brought up with him daily, the
scripture says, his delight. Here's the Lord Jesus Christ
speaking who was present and vitally joined in the unity of
the Godhead in that everlasting covenant of grace with all things
before the foundation of the world set forth, established,
Ordered, known from the beginning are all the works of God. He
knows the end from the beginning. He who ordains all things, orders
all things, predestinates according to the purpose of Him who works
all things after the counsel of His own will. He got you here
this morning. He brought you here. He allowed
you the privilege to be here. Rule you by power and grace. Oh listen, this is who prays
for his people. This is who intercedes for his
people. This is who answers and speaks
for me. My soul shall make her boast
in the Lord. The Lord's soul. His very being
as the God-man mediator. One with His people in nature. One with Almighty God, who is
God. God-Man. He says, "...the humble
shall hear thereof and be glad." Those made to see themselves. Those made to know something
of who they are. that's fallen in Adam and is
saved by the grace of Almighty God. My sheep, He said, hear
My voice. God's sheep are going to hear
His voice. And they're going to follow Him. The humble shall
hear thereof and be glad. Those who have been made to see
something of their frailty, their need, their only hope in Christ,
they're going to hear. The humble shall hear. They're going to hear by the
Spirit of God giving them ears to hear. That's how they're going
to hear. I know this. I know that God's people are
going to hear the gospel. This is why we don't preach anything
else. People tell me, and I'm sure
every gospel preacher hears this too, you know. If you've got
anything else to say, you basically say the same thing. Every Sunday,
thank you. Every Wednesday, thank you. God
keep me from preaching anything else. The humble shall hear, and they're
going to be glad. They're going to hear. They're going to hear that the
Father's pleased. by the blood of the Lord Jesus
Christ. They're going to hear that Christ has put away their
debt by His sacrifice. They're going to hear that God
everlastingly loved them and chose to show mercy to them.
They're going to hear that they are what they are by the grace
of God. And you know what? They're going
to be glad. Glad that Almighty God accepts
them for Christ's sake. The Scripture sets forth, it
is not by works of righteousness that we have done, but according
to His mercy He saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing
of the Holy Ghost. Glad, cheered, thankful. Oh, how much do we have to rejoice
in Christ, in our Lord. Saved by grace. But then listen
to this. I know he prays. I will bless
the Lord. Listen. This is Christ. I will
bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually
be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord, the
humble shall hear thereof. And now I want you to listen
to this gracious invitation. Oh, magnify the Lord with me. Here he is speaking to his people.
And let us exalt His name together. You know, it's a precious thing
to be able to come together and meet with God's people. Sinners,
just like I am, just like you are, to come together and to
magnify and to boast in the Lord, But I tell you to hear Him say
that to His people. To hear Him say to me, O magnify
the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together. Bone of His bone, flesh of His
flesh, so intimately found in union
with Him that I would have Him as my elder brother, my friend,
my husband, my Lord, my God. Thinking upon Him, praising Him,
adoring Him. Here we are this morning, praying. trying to enter into what he's
saying. Magnify the Lord with me. Let us exalt His name together.
And I'm struggling all the while. And while I struggle, I realize
this. All of my failings, the blood
of Christ covers a multitude of sin. But the Lord would say,
I'm not going to charge you with iniquity. I hear you. I hear
you for my son's sake. I hear you. As I hear Him, I
hear you. As I accept Him, I accept you.
As He is, so are you in this world. Robed in His righteousness,
the Spirit of God with groanings that cannot be uttered as we
struggle to pray. And a multitude of sin is covered.
Accept it. Accept it. Oh, magnify the Lord
with me. And let us exalt His name together. One of these days, we're going
to know about that. Really. One of these days, the
Scripture says, we'll cast our crowns before Him. The crown
of His righteousness. It wasn't earned by us. We didn't
earn any crowns. We got one crown. The crown of
His righteousness. And it was by grace that we received
that. Casting it, Lord, You're worthy
to receive all honor and glory and praise. I want to seek the Lord. I want
to. I do want to. I want to seek
Him. The Lord said in verse 4, I sought
the Lord. And He heard me. And delivered
me from all my fears. Was it not the Lord Jesus who
in the days of His flesh, in the days that He walked this
earth and suffered ridicule of men, the forsaking and wrath
of His Father, the Scripture says when He offered up prayers
and supplications with strong crying, here He is now in the
Garden of Eden, and tears under Him that was able to save Him
from death, and He was heard in that He feared. Here is the
glorious God-man, our federal head and husband, truly God,
truly man, who lived on this earth, actually walked on this
earth in human flesh, right now in human flesh, right now seated
on the throne of God Himself, the man, Christ Jesus. He who anticipated and actually
suffered the weight of God's wrath in our place, he was heard. He said, I sought the Lord. And he heard me and delivered
me from all of my fears. I'm going to read you something
out of Psalm 69. I'm going to tell you about the
fears. It's what he was talking about.
Psalm 69, verses 17 to 21. Here's the Lord Jesus Christ.
These words can be spoken by no other than Christ Himself.
You'll see that in a second. Psalm 69, 17. Hide not thy face
from thy servant, for I am in trouble. Hear me speedily. Draw nigh unto my soul and redeem
it. Deliver me because of my enemies. Thou hast known my reproach and
my shame and my dishonor. My adversaries are all before
me. Reproach. Forsaking of the Father. The Father forsaking Him. Reproach
hath broken my heart. And I'm full of heaviness. And
I looked for some to take pity, and there was none. None. And for comforters, but I found
none. They gave me also gall for my
meat, and in my thirst, they gave me vinegar to drink." The
Lord Jesus Christ, He feared not to be kept from dying, but
that He might be kept in the time of His separation and being
forsaken of the Father. Forsaken of His Father. He says, I sought the Lord back
in Psalm 34, and He heard me, and He delivered me from all
of my fears. In that time of separation, when
He hung upon that cross, paying the debt for all that the Father
had given Him, He said, I lay down my life for the sheep. And
He shed His precious blood to redeem all of God's elect and
only God's elect. Not one drop of that blood was
shed in vain. Every one that He purchased at
Calvary is going to be with Him. He died for His sheep. He did
not lay down. He wouldn't even pray for the
world. In John 17, I pray not for the
world, but I pray for those that you've given me out of the world.
Thine they were, thou gavest them me. Here's the Lord speaking,
and in verse 5, in closing, And these words I looked at, they
could be either the words of the Holy Spirit or the words
of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. They're one and the same. But
the Scripture sets forth, if it's from the words of the Lord
Jesus Christ, listen to them, they looked unto Him and were
lightened, and their faces were not ashamed. If these are the
words of Him who has spoken, been speaking concerning seeking
the Lord and blessing the Lord, If they're from the words of
the Lord Jesus Christ, He speaks of His people looking unto Him,
the Father, the One that He's been speaking to. They were lightened,
they were cheerful, they were at peace with the Father. Because
of the blood of Christ, they looked unto Him and they were
lightened. They flowed. in the mercy and
grace of Almighty God by the blood of Christ. They looked
unto Him. Father, thank You for Christ's
sake that You have mercy on this sinner right here. The blood
of Christ that covers us. It cleanses us from all sins. If they be the words of the Holy
Spirit, they may be in reference of the Holy Spirit, they are
looking only to the Lord Jesus Christ. If the Spirit of God
has summed up these passages, they looked unto Him. They looked
unto Christ, who is praying for them, seeking the Father. The
Father had commanded us, this is my beloved Son in whom I am
well pleased. You hear Him, and have we not heard His words this
morning? You think of what He has done for us today. What He
has done for us eternally. Blessing, looking to Christ,
His sheep were lightened, cheerful, encouraged by the Lord to magnify
and bless the Lord with Him. And their faces were not ashamed. They're not ashamed of the Father.
The Father chose them. They're not ashamed of the Son.
The Son redeemed them. They're not ashamed of the Holy
Spirit. The Holy Spirit has called them out of darkness effectually. The Holy Spirit has sealed them.
The Holy Spirit has taught them. They are not ashamed of His gospel.
It is the power of God and the salvation. They are not ashamed
of His people. All those that have been everlastingly
loved, by this shall all men know that you are my disciples.
You have love one for another. Oh Lord, make these words effectual
to my heart. Lord, help me in a sense to understand
something of that which You've done for me. Bless the Lord,
O my soul, and all that's within me. Bless His holy name. Let's
stand together.