So if you turn in your Bibles
or you have it there before you, to Psalm 17. For those of you
who were here on Thursday night, you've been realising that I've
read half of Pilgrim's Progress and I'm still reading it and
I'm still delighting in the wonderful insights that the Lord gave to
Banyan. And Christian life is characterised
as a journey and in the Psalms we have the life, the intimate
life of men like David laid out before us. And if we did a word
association game with David amongst Christians, I imagine most of
the time the word that would come out would be Bathsheba or
Uriah. But in fact, David is a remarkable
man. He's most remarkable in the sense
that his life points us to the life of the Lord Jesus. But he's a remarkable man in
his relationship with God. He wrote 53 Psalms and he lived
at a remarkable time. In Psalm 78 too it says that
he shepherded Israel, he shepherded them according to the integrity
of his heart and guided them by the skillfulness of his hand.
He was a man of remarkable integrity, remarkable courage, remarkable
faith. And he was God's prophet. and He is still God's Prophet
to our souls, and He was God's King, and in those things He,
as much as anyone in all the scriptures, pointed us to the
Lord Jesus. But also in His journey, in the
pain of that journey, He lived out a life that so many people
today live. David, like the Lord Jesus, welcome
friends, David, like the Lord Jesus, was born in this world
as a man and he suffered and struggled in this world as a
man. And we have the opportunity in
the Psalms to go into the prayer closet with David, to be alone
with David while David talks to his God. And this is what's
before us in Psalm 17. As you know, preparing for this
funeral I'm speaking at this coming week. And we love to get
the final verse in the psalm and get there as quickly as we
possibly can. What a wonderful promise from
God. As to me, I will see your face
in righteousness. I shall be satisfied when I awake
in your likeness." What a remarkable promise that God lays out before
His people. As 1 John 3 says, that when He
comes again, we will see Him as He is, because we will be
like him. But between now and that great
day, God's children live in this world. We live as real people
in this world. We live as real people with real
struggles in this world. And Christianity, Biblical Christianity,
doesn't hide the pain that God's people go through again and again. And so here the psalmist begins,
and in three times in the first verse here, he calls out to God,
He says, hear a just cause, O Lord. See, this is a prayer of the
Lord Jesus as much as it was a prayer of David. Who is just? in this world. Who is righteous
in this world? David knew his own weakness. He knew his own sinfulness. In Psalm, that well-known verse
in Psalm 130, he says, O Lord, if you should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand? We cannot come to God on the
basis of anything that we have done. God will hear a just cause. Attend to my cry, give ear to
my prayer. Three times he calls out to God
to hear him. People think Often the prayer
is a simple thing. There is a simplicity and a beauty
about prayer. But prayer is often a cry, a cry from a child who is hurting,
a cry from a child who is hurting to the one and only person who
can actually do anything to sort the problem out. Beth and I were
talking before I spoke about a particularly painful experience
in my life, an ongoing painful experience. And as much as we
wish that things were different, as much as we wish the circumstances
of our life and the people around us would be different, we just
know that unless God does something, nothing is going to happen. Unless
God does spiritual things in the lives of people, nothing
will happen. give ear to my prayer which is
not from deceitful lips." You see, God's children are caused
by God to be honest with Him. We don't come to God pleading
any righteousness of our own. There's no point playing games
with God. On Wednesday when I speak at
that funeral, the reality is the people there have spent their
lives playing games with God. Don't be deceitful with God. You can fool men, please don't
think you can fool God. So he calls out to God, like
we call out to God, and then in verse 2 he says, let my vindication
come from your presence. See, God will set things right,
not men. It may not ever seem just in
this world, the death of the Lord Jesus is a continual blot
upon humanity. And our response to God is a
continual blot upon our humanity. our vindication. The vindication
of God's people will not come in this world and will not come
from our friends. If we're going to be vindicated,
if we're going to be seen right in who the Lord Jesus is, it's
going to come from Him. Let your eyes look on things
that are upright. The eyes of God are far too pure
to look on sin. See, this is a prayer of David,
but it's a prayer of David as he models and represents and
points us to the Lord Jesus. See, the Lord Jesus is the only
one who's ever walked this earth who has not had deceitful lips.
He's the only one who is upright, when God, in verse 3, tests the
heart. What does He see in our hearts? Let's be honest with God about
our hearts. That's why in verse 3 it says,
you have tested my heart. You have visited me in the night. When there's no one else around,
when it's you on your pillow, and it's you alone, What's going
on between you and God? What's happening in your soul
between you and God? Remember He sees everything. Remember He is everywhere. You have tried me and found nothing. You have tested me and found
nothing. Who's that speaking about? Who's
the only person who was tested and they found nothing wrong
with him? There's only one person who's been tested and nothing
has been found. For three years, he told his
enemies, I am God. I rule this universe. I rule
this universe for the saving of my people. I forgive their
sins. And at the end of his life, in
John's Gospel, he says, which one of you can convict me of
sin? And what was the response? There
was silence. Not one sin is on our saviour. Not one sin. I have purposed
that my mouth shall not transgress. So much of our public sin and
our sins of our bodies we can hide and we can deal with in
some sort of way. But the sins of our mouths, the
sins of our tongues are vicious and bitter and hurtful and continuing. And they hurt others. So this is a prayer again, as
I keep telling you, this is a prayer of our Lord Jesus. And he says
to us in verse 4 that he's kept himself, I have kept away from
the paths of the destroyer. And he says the paths of the
destroyer in verse 4 are the works of men. But how has he
been kept from the paths of the destroyer? When the destroyer
came to the Lord Jesus in Matthew 4 after his baptism, that destroyer,
that deceiver, came to the Lord Jesus to test him and try him. And the Lord's response was not
to vindicate himself, The Lord's response each time Satan accused
him was, this is what you say, but this is what God says. That's why God's Word is so incredibly
important. It was incredibly important for
the Lord Jesus to be protected from the destroyer. It was incredibly
important for him to be protected from the works of men. Our Bibles
must be alive in our lives by God's grace to keep us from the
paths of the destroyer. See what wonderful pleas we have
from David. What wonderful pleas and promises
we have from our Saviour. Uphold my steps in your paths
that my footsteps may not slip. This world is a slippery place. We see around us people who are
slipping and falling away from the grace of God. They're slipping
and falling away from who the Lord Jesus is and what He has
done. God alone upholds His people
in slippery places. And He calls on God in verse
6, I have called upon you. Why does He call upon God? Why can God's people call upon
Him? For you will hear me, O God. Incline your ear to me and hear
my speech." You see, the wonderful thing about the prayer life of
David and the intimate life of the Lord Jesus with his father
is it's like our relationship with God. It is relational, isn't
it? We cry out to God. How often
do God's children cry out to Him? How often do we plead with
Him to answer us? How often do we, like the psalmist
in verse 7 say, show your loving kindness by your right hand? No, he doesn't say that. He says,
show your marvellous loving-kindness by your right hand. Reveal your
loving-kindness to us. The loving-kindness of God is
shown in the Lord Jesus. Show your power by showing us
your Son because you are the one who saves those who
trust in you. See, David lived out a life which
in many, many aspects is resembles our Lord Jesus and points us
to Him. He was anointed by God, as Jesus
was anointed by God, and then immediately almost He was sent
to do battle with a giant who stood opposed to God's people
and mocked God, just as the Lord Jesus was anointed by God the
Father and the Holy Spirit from Heaven at His baptism and immediately
He was sent by God's Spirit into the wilderness to do battle with
the great enemy of our souls. They rise up against us all the
time. They keep rising up against us. And so God's children to cry
out to be saved by God. And we know the scriptures say
that God's children were saved from before the foundation of
the world. God's children were saved by the Lord Jesus at the
cross. God's children are saved and
kept by Him until that great day. But God's children in this
world go through moment after moment, experience after experience,
where we call out like the psalmist to save me from this situation. Please God, don't list my flesh,
don't let my sin overwhelm me. Please God don't let my sins
hurt the people I love so much. And God's people want to live
out verse 8. Just look at it with me. Keep
me as the apple of your eye. Hide me under the shadow of your
wings. The picture of one for those
of us who have hens is beautiful, isn't it? The hen fluffs out
her feathers and opens her wings and the little ones run under.
Not only are they shielded from what's out there, but in there
they have protection. But in there they are held close
to the heart of our God. See, we need to hide all the
time, because we have no strength in ourselves. We have no power
in ourselves. We want to hide. Colossians 3
is beautiful, isn't it? God hides all of his children
in the Lord Jesus. We are hidden. Colossians 3,
verse 3. for you died and your life is
hidden with Christ in God. We are hidden in the Lord Jesus
and we are hidden in God. What a beautiful, beautiful picture. That's where we want to spend
our lives, kept as the apple of God's eye, kept as all of
His delight, and hidden by Him in the shadow of His wings. Just
like Noah and his family were hidden in the ark when the destroying
wrath of God came upon the world, they were hidden God's children
are hidden in the Lord Jesus. In verses 9 down to 12 we have
a description of what it is for the wicked in this world. They
oppress me. They continually stand opposed
to God's people. You stand up for the Lord Jesus
in this world and you will be oppressed. It's completely irrational. It's always going to be irrational
and it's always going to happen. From my deadly enemies who surround
me, David spent 20 years after being anointed of God, going
from cave to cave, hiding away from Saul who sought his life
and the armies of Saul who sought his life. They have closed up
their fat hearts. With their mouths they speak
proudly." What a description of the pride
of men, their fat hearts. Their pride, like the pride of
Sodom and Gomorrah, came from the fullness of their food. They had so much. They had their
security in the things they have around them. That's what they
looked upon for their security. What does the world look upon
for its security right now? Unless God has moved in the hearts
of people, their hearts will be fat, and with their mouths
they speak proudly. They will utter Satan's words,
won't they? I will, I will, I can. I can do it. I'm okay. They oppress me, but they surround
us. They surround all of God's people.
They set their eyes crouching down to the earth as a lion is
eager to tear his prey. Satan operates in this world
as a lion according to 1 Peter 5. Be sober. Be vigilant because
your adversary the devil walks around like a roaring lion, seeking
whom he may devour. Resist him. Steadfast. How do we stand against Satan?
Steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings experienced
by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace,
who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus after you
had suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle
you." What a wonderful promise from our God in this world where
we are surrounded. And in this world where we have
an enemy, who crouches as a lion ready to tear his prey. That's why God's people need
to be gathered in a fold. of others of God's people. Because
when the lions are hunting, they'll always hunt the stragglers on
the outside of the mob. They'll find a weak and struggling
sheep and attack those. God is in the business of shepherding
His people together. Come in out of the cold, come
in out of danger, come in under the Gospel, hide. Hide in the
Lord Jesus. Trust Him. Take your place under
the shadow of His wings. And then God's people cry out
for God to act. We don't want men to act. We
don't want to see the activities of men. We've seen enough of
that. And all it's done is bring harm and more harm and more and
more pain and hurt. You live in families, you live
in relationships, you know how painful it is. We want God to
arise. We want God to confront him. We don't have the power to confront
him. He's too big, he's too wise,
he's too clever. We want our lives delivered by
God. Deliver my life from the wicked
with your sword, with your hand from men. It's extraordinary,
isn't it, that we need to be protected by God from other men
in this world, from those who should offer us the most comfort. We need protection. And this
is another description in verse 14 of the people of this world
who live without faith in the Lord Jesus. They have their portion
in this life. Their bellies are full, but God
has filled their bellies But the treasure is hidden from them
because they never know and never acknowledge that the breath they
have, the heartbeat that keeps them alive, the food they have
and the water they have is God's and it's hidden from them. And
they are satisfied with children. And then they leave. They are just gone. And this
earth and the people of this earth, remember them no more. Their portion is in this life. May God cause you not to have
your portion in this life. May God not satisfy you with
the things of this world. May He protect you from thinking
that this world is secure, this world is a place of peace, that
in this world you can find your satisfaction. And then we come
to this beautiful promise at the end. The satisfaction of
God's people is in a person. When I see your face, It's probably too embarrassing
to ask and it's too embarrassing to confess how seldom we actually
anxiously look to see the Lord Jesus' face. Only the grace of
God can cause us to want to see His face. to want to gaze upon
Him who loved His people from eternity, to want to gaze upon
Him who took our sins upon Himself and suffered the curse of God
and suffered the wrath of God and suffered hell for us, to
look upon His face. I shall be satisfied when I awake
in your likeness." God's children will be satisfied forever. When they see God, when they
see what He has done, when they see the Lord Jesus, they will
find their satisfaction there. Always they will be satisfied.
at this resurrection, this glorious resurrection that is just around
the corner, when every living being will be raised from the
dead, God's children will be raised with glorious bodies. And this rotten body that causes
pain to me and causes pain to others, this rotten body that's
so prone to sin and to live without God, This rotten body will be
a glorious body, a transformed body. You will be amazed at my
body, and I'll be amazed at yours, and the amazement will be directed
to one person alone. It'll be directed to the Lord
Jesus. But there's another awakening
that God's children experience here, isn't it? But when the
Lord Jesus comes in power to a sinner, they see Him. They see Him now through the
eyes of faith. See, the God of this age, that
roaring lion, has blinded the minds of unbelievers. Lest the
light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of
God, should shine on them. For we do not preach ourselves,
but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservant for
Jesus' sake. For, because it is God who commanded
light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to
give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God. We see in conversion the light
of the knowledge of the glory of God. If you want to see the
light of the knowledge of the glory of God, you will see it
in one place, in the face of Jesus Christ. God's children are then satisfied. This world will never satisfy
Him. We're satisfied when we see His face. And we'll see His
face in righteousness. We'll see that He is righteous
and remarkably we'll see that we are as righteous as Him. What good news the Gospel is.
As He is, so are we in this world. As perfect as Jesus is perfect,
as holy as Jesus is holy. That's satisfaction. All the
gold in this world never satisfies anyone. They never have enough. God's people are satisfied. They are at rest. and they have
peace. Satisfied. What a wonderful,
wonderful word. Go to the shopping centre this
afternoon or tomorrow, try and find a satisfied person there. Go walking through this world
and find anyone who's satisfied. What a wonderful word that God
gives to his people. Satisfied. Fully satisfied. at peace and at rest in He who
has loved us with an infinite love. Show us your marvellous
loving kindness is what we cry out to our God. Show us the Lord
Jesus. May He come as He's promised
and visit with His people. Come and speak to your hearts
through the Gospel. If any man loves me, he will
keep my words. My Father will love him, and
we will come to him, and we will make our abode, we will make
our dwelling place with him. May God grant you the grace to
cry out May He grant us the grace to have our cries answered and
to find our satisfaction in the only One who can ever satisfy
the souls of hungry sinners like us. Let's pray. Father in Heaven,
we do thank You that You are extraordinarily lovingly kind
towards Your people, that You continue to show us again and
again in Your Word the wonders of our Saviour. Heavenly Father,
we pray that we would find ourselves hiding under the shadow of Your
wing, seeking Your protection, looking for You to act, Heavenly
Father. and for you to vindicate, to
justify your people, not in this world, Heavenly Father, but in
the courts that really count, in the courts of Heaven. Help
us to be patient. Help us to be faithful, Our Father. Help us to look to the Lord Jesus
again and again and feast our eyes upon Him. And may, Heavenly
Father, You grant us the grace that we would never find any
satisfaction other than satisfaction in Him. Protect us from this
world and the devil of this world, Our Father. For we pray in Jesus'
name. Amen.