If anybody was going to study
Psalm 119, I would encourage them to read that last verse
first and read it often as you study
through Psalm 119 because it's David's spirit throughout the
Psalm and it's really the key that unlocks it. It speaks really
to the heart of God's saints, because it's the same spirit
God's put in you, and you find yourself praying this same thing
so often. I've gone astray like a lost
sheep. Seek thy servant, for I do not
forget thy commandments. I want to try to preach this,
not so much doctrinally as experimentally. I mean, I want to speak to your
heart. And this is what we all have
experienced right here, and what we pray so much, so much. And we hear our own prayer here.
And you know, that's why as God's saints go longer in the faith,
that's why you like the Psalms more. It's because you hear your
own prayers, and you hear David praying things that you pray,
and even saying it better than you say it. And it just speaks
to your heart. We're often pouring out our heart
to God, saying, I've gone astray like a lost sheep, and begging
Him, seek thy servant. It's God's grace that not only
makes you come to God confessing you've gone astray, That's His
grace that does that. But also, it makes you know you
can come to Him. It makes you comfortable to come
to Him. We have this word telling us,
God's commandment tells us to come to Him. God's commandment
tells us to cast our care on Him. He tells us, call on me
in the day of trouble, I will deliver you. That's His commandment.
And that's why David says, I'm praying here to you, Lord. I
haven't forgotten your commandments. The Spirit of God abides in the
new man, so we don't want to stray from the Lord's Word. And
we beg God for that, too. We beg Him to not let us stray. He said back in verse 10, With
my whole heart have I sought thee, O let me not wander from
thy commandments. Isn't that your heart? You don't
want to disobey God. You don't want to offend God.
But when we do stray, like a lost sheep, the Spirit won't let you
forget God's commandments. He won't let you forget the gospel.
He won't let you forget the precious promises God's made to you. He
keeps you broken and contrite in your heart. He keeps you broken
and contrite. This is why he's put us, left
us in this body of death, is to keep us humble and to teach
us as we are going along. And we hear that prayer, that
spirit, we hear it in David's prayer here. This is a broken
and contrite heart that God gives in a new birth and that God keeps
in His child by His grace. That's what we hear here. Everything
David's asking for is what it is to ask God for mercy. Everything
he's asking here. First of all, the broken heart,
the contrite heart that God's given, asks God to let our prayer
be heard. To let our prayer be heard. He
said there in verse 169, let my cry come near before thee,
O Lord. Verse 170, let my supplication
come before thee. The saying it's a cry shows what
need he had here. He's crying to God and his supplication
shows he's like a beggar that's just come with his hat in his
hand begging for a handout. You know this petition, brethren.
You sitting here that God's given the Spirit of God, you know this
Spirit, you know this petition. It's common for the child of
God to beg God to hear us. You find yourself praying that
a lot? Lord, please hear me. Please hear me. The Spirit of
God's taught us that in Christ and by Christ, we have access
to God's throne of grace. The Spirit of the Lord's taught
you that. You have access to the throne of grace. Hebrews
10.19 We're told it's by the blood of Jesus. That's how we
have this access, and you know that. You know that Christ has
finished the work. You know he's redeemed his people,
and you have a new and living way. It's Christ himself that
he consecrated for us by laying down his life for us. That's
a new way to God. That's why that veil ran in two
from top to bottom. And being regenerated by God
now, you've been washed by the word in regeneration. You've been, your conscience
has been purged from that evil conscience that made you hate
God. And now you know you can come to God. You know you can
come to him. You have a high priest over the
house of God. And you know that, you have a
high priest right there in glory. He's an advocate for us with
the Father, and he's made you know this. He made you know,
you that are born of God and taught of God, you know you have
an advocate with the Father. You know he's the propitiation
for your sin. He is where God will meet you
in mercy. You know it because of the Spirit's
work in you. And you know this, you know that
Christ was tempted in all points like as we are yet without sin,
so he's touched with the feeling of our infirmities. So you know
these things, the Spirit's watched you in regeneration, He's purged
your conscience, and you got faith that you behold Christ,
you believe Christ, you know Christ, and you know He's there
as an advocate. And the Spirit of God even says
in Hebrews 10, you have boldness. You have boldness to enter. That
means freedom to approach. It means you can come with freedom
to speak, with unreservedness. The Spirit even exhorts us, come
boldly to the throne of grace, that you may obtain mercy and
find grace to help in time of need. But see, by the revelation
of the Lord Jesus, by God making us know Christ and see what Christ
did for us on the cross, God's revealed to you how holy God
is. He's made you to see something
of God's holiness, God's righteousness. And at the same time, He's made
us to see something of our own sinfulness. He's made us to see
what sinners we are. And when you've gone astray,
you see it glaringly. The Lord shows you glaringly
what just a vile wretch that you are. And so, even though
You see this and even though you know you have this access
and He encouraged you to come to Him, knowing He's created
a new man in you that's righteous and holy, you believe God's Word
about that, but you know in your flesh and you see in yourself
that you're just a sinner and that's all. And you know, brethren,
you know that He's the King And so, when you come to God,
you come like a subject in a kingdom comes before a king. You come
bowed down. Having boldness doesn't mean
you come flippantly and just carelessly cry out and command
God to do this or that. Having boldness, you come broken
over your sin, and you come contrite, bowed
down, and you come there He's promised
you He'll hear you. He's promised that, but He said
He'll be inquired of to hear you. And so we don't presume,
even in prayer, we don't presume. We come to the Lord and we ask,
let my cry come near before Thee, O Lord. Let my supplication come
before Thee. What is this? Why is this? Because
when the Lord has broken our heart, when He's given you a
broken and a contrite heart, we know we are at the mercy of
God. We're at the mercy of God. Everything
is by His mercy. Everything. The lie exalts the
sinner, telling the sinner, you need to let God. But the gospel
teaches, God's child, it's not us who are letting God. God's
one does the letting. And we even ask Him, Lord, let
my cry come in unto you. Let my words come to you. Let
my prayer be heard. That's a broken heart. That's
a broken heart. That's asking mercy from God.
Mercy to hear me, Lord. Mercy to even hear me. And then
this broken and contrite heart is asking God mercy to give us
understanding and deliver us. Look here, verse 169, he asks
for understanding. Let my cry come near before thee,
O Lord. Give me understanding according
to thy word. You know why we know that we
need to ask God to give us understanding? We couldn't give ourselves understanding
in the beginning. You know that, you know you couldn't
make yourself understand the gospel. Do you remember reading
the Word of God and it just did not make any sense to you? You
just couldn't make it make sense. If you got a little glimpse sometimes
and thought, you kind of was trying to see what grace is and
that you're saved by Christ, then you'd come across a commandment
and you'd think, well no, I must have to do something to be saved.
You just could not rest. It made no sense to you. You
never were able to just rest. Yes, I am complete in Christ.
You couldn't do it. How did you get understanding
in the first place? Job 32.8 says the inspiration
of the Almighty giveth man understanding. It's God making His Word enter
into our new heart. Look back up there at verse 130.
The entrance of thy words giveth light, it giveth understanding
unto the simple. That's how we have understanding,
the entrance of God's Word. David had been given understanding. He had understanding. He wouldn't
be praying like this if he didn't have understanding. But when
God gives you understanding and you see a little bit of God's
wisdom and how great His wisdom is, this is what He makes you
see. Great is our Lord and of great
power, His understanding is infinite. That's what Psalm 145, 5 says. And He makes you see something
of that. And that's when you see all the understanding I have
could fit in a thimble. And He makes you know by giving
you understanding, He makes you ask Him, Lord give me more understanding. You want more understanding.
And so you have this spirit of a little child, He's made you
simple. He made you simple. God's children are not boasting
about what we know and we're not trying to act like we're,
you know, wise and been around or whatever. If your heart's
really broken, you just come to God simple. You come to him
like a child. He said there in verse 125, I
am thy servant. Give me understanding that I
might know thy testimonies. Most of us are too proud to stand
here in public and say, Lord, would you give me an understanding
of your gospel? That's what he's asking. Verse 144, the righteousness
of thy testimonies is everlasting. Give me understanding and I shall
live. And notice here, he asked this
according to thy word. It's the Word, we just read that,
it's the Word that gives you understanding. The entrance of
His Word gives you understanding. But, it's also God's promise
in His Word that He will give you understanding. Christ our
wisdom, our great Solomon, this is what He says to His children.
Our great Solomon says this, He's wisdom. And He said in Proverbs
2, 3, Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, That's an odd statement,
isn't it? If you cry after knowledge, that's what David's doing. He's
crying to wisdom himself. He's crying after knowledge.
He's crying after the Lord Jesus, our wisdom. If you cry after
knowledge and lift up thy voice for understanding, lift it up
to Him who is wisdom. If thou seekest her as silver
and searchest for her as a hid treasure, then shalt thou understand
the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God, for the
Lord giveth wisdom. Out of his mouth cometh knowledge
and understanding. Do you need wisdom? Do you need
understanding of God's testimonies and of his word? Do you need
understanding? Do you need wisdom? That ought to be a hearty yes. Yes. Well, then this is what he says.
This is according to his word. According to his word, this is
what he promises. He said, if any of you lack wisdom,
let him ask of God that giveth to all liberally, and upbraideth
not, and it shall be given him. He won't upraise you, you just
come ask Him. He said He gives it and gives
it bountifully. But not only does He come asking
for understanding, He asks to be delivered. He said in verse
170, let my supplication come before thee, deliver me according
to thy word. Verse 173, let thine hand help
me. Let my soul live. Verse 175,
let my soul live. David had been delivered. He'd
been given a new spirit. His soul lived. He had spiritual
life. The Lord had helped him and brought
him to where he was. He'd been delivered from the
curse of his sin nature and his unbelief to believe on Christ. Because of that, he was able
to behold Christ's surety and know he'd been delivered from
the curse of the law. He knew that. You know, God's
saints of old, they were delivered from the curse before Christ
laid down His life at Calvary. The same as God's children after
Christ laid down His life at Calvary are delivered from the
curse. And they were just as fully redeemed from that curse
before Christ shed one drop of blood. Because Christ is the
surety. He's the lamb slain from the
foundation of the world. And David had been given that
faith to know he'd been delivered. He'd been delivered. But here
he is, needing his Redeemer to deliver him right then, right
now, right here today. And he prays this over and over
through the Psalms. You hear him asking God over
and over in the Psalms, Lord, will you deliver me? Will you
let your hand deliver me? What is he asking? Well, he's
asking God to quicken him in the spirit. That's where the
deliverance is. It really doesn't have much to
do with the outward, not much at all. The carnal, remember
Paul said what carnality is, he said to the Corinthians, it's
carnal to just look at the outward. They were saying, we like this
preacher, we don't like that preacher, because they couldn't
get beyond just, he speaks eloquently and Paul stutters and stammers
and has a speech impediment. And Paul said, that's just carnal.
Paul had to be the one to say that. Of two men who were saying,
we don't like your preaching, Paul. Why? Because he was the one God sent
to preach to them. We need to be, it's not the outward,
it's not the outward. God could give you everything
outwardly so that your life is just so rosy and so good that
you'd be the envy of everybody that knows you. And you wouldn't
know, and not know God from a gourd. But this quickening of the heart,
and God revealing himself in your heart. That's where the
blessing is. And he doesn't have to do anything
outwardly. And you have the blessing and
you know you have the blessing. That's what he's asking. He's
asking the Lord to plead his cause and deliver him from himself
and from every enemy, from his sin nature, from his unbelief.
Look here in verse 25. He said, my soul cleaveth to
the dust. That's the outward, that's the
carnal that he's cleaving to. Lord, quicken thou me according
to thy word. Verse 107, I'm afflicted very
much, quicken me, O Lord, according unto thy word. Verse 154, plead
my cause and deliver me, quicken me according to thy word. That's
what he's asking for in our section of a psalm. He's asking to be
delivered. Verse 154, he's saying, plead my cause and deliver me,
how? Quicken me according to thy word. That's what he's asking for.
He's asking Christ to strengthen him. He said there in verse 28,
my soul melteth for heaviness, strengthen thou me according
unto thy word. He's asking for new mercies.
Verse 41, let thy mercies come also unto me, O Lord, even thy
salvation according to thy word. Verse 58, I am treated thy favor
with my whole heart, be merciful unto me according to thy word.
Verse 76, let, I pray thee, thy merciful kindness be my comfort,
be for my comfort according to thy word and to thy servant.
Verse 77, let thy tender mercies come unto me that I may live,
for thy law is my delight. He's asking the Lord to uphold
him in spirit, in heart. Look at verse 116. Uphold me
according unto thy word that I may live, and let me not be
ashamed of my hope. That's what we hear in this last
section. Look at verse 173. Let thine hand help me. Verse
175. Let my soul live, and let thy
judgments help me. He's asking the same thing, brother.
Every believer here, have you prayed this? Do you pray this
often? Lord, quicken me. Lord, uphold
me. Lord, deliver me. Lord, plead
my cause. This is common for God's people.
The Holy Spirit's taught us if we're helped, if we're quickened,
if we're delivered, it's going to be by God alone because God
let His hand help us. That's the only way. If our soul
lives, it's going to be because God let our soul live. If God's chastening hand is sanctified
to our hearts, if God's providence is sanctified to our hearts,
to where we understand why he's done what he's done, it will
be God letting his judgments help us. That'll be the reason. This is what I'm talking about
when I said God uses even our sin nature to teach us. This is why He's left us in a
sinful world. This is true sanctification of
the Spirit. This is true growth in grace. Who's He calling on? Who's this
holy believer calling on to do all this for? I used this illustration
a long time ago Our children grow up and they move out. When they grow up, they get more
independent and they move out. That's when we find out if they
came to hear the gospel because of us or if the word had a place
in their heart. But God's child doesn't become
more independent when he grows you up. He makes you become more
and more dependent on the Lord. more and more dependent on the
Lord. We see our need of Him more and more and more. And when He's quickened you in
your heart, you'll be in the best place spiritually you can
ever be. The world and folks around you
may look at you and think, oh, it's terrible for him. And the
Lord has you quickened in your heart, seeing Christ, and you
are the best place you have ever been. Notice again, David asked
this according to God's word. He said in verse 170, deliver
me according to thy word. See, brethren, it's by the word
that God quickens us and delivers us. That's how we're going to
be quickened and delivered, by the word, by him blessing the
word to our heart. But that's also the promise of
God in the word, that he will do this. That's why he's saying,
Lord, do this according to your word. He's pleading what God
said he would do. God's made you know what He'll
do for you. But remember what He said in Ezekiel? He said He
told him everything He would do for him. And then He said,
but I will be inquired of by you. He's going to have you come
and ask Him to do it for you. Why? Why is that? Prayer changes
things. It don't change nobody but you.
It don't change God. It don't change what God's purpose
is to do from eternity. Prayer makes us stop depending
on us and makes us come and cast it all on God. By God's grace, every believer's
been made willing to obey God. His law is your delight. If you're born of God, you love
God's word, and His law is your delight. He said in verse 173,
let thine hand help me, for I've chosen thy precepts, I've longed
for thy salvation, O Lord, and thy law is my delight. That's
so of every one of God's children. Paul said, I delight in the law
of God after the inward man. We hear the Decalogue, we hear
the Ten Commandments in the New Heart, we hear all the ceremonies
and what they teach in the New Heart, we hear the Gospel in
the New Heart, every word of God, we hear it in the New Heart. I delight in thy law in the inward
man. That's where we hear everything.
But when we're brought into captivity by our sin nature, what did Paul
do? He said, I cry out to the Lord
to deliver me. Who will deliver me from the
body of this death? That's what David's doing right
here. That's what you and me do over and over and over. This is God's command to us.
That's his command to us. And his promises to us is that
he will deliver. Listen to this, Psalm 91, 14. He sat there and, you know, the
law is your delight because God's birthed you. He's given you faith.
He's done everything for you inwardly, but you delight in
it. You've chosen his precepts. You've chosen him. You want to
follow him. You want to do whatever he commands
you. It's all of God or you wouldn't have this heart. But that's your
heart. You long for His salvation. And
God says then in Psalm 91 14, because He set His love upon
me, therefore will I deliver Him. I will set him on high because
he hath known my name. He shall call upon me and I will
answer him. I will be with him in trouble.
I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy
him and show him my salvation. That's God's promise. He keeps
saying, do this according to your word. God promises, that's
what he'll do for you, child of God. And David had experienced
God's power and delivered him many times. We've seen this all
through the scripture. So while he's in affliction here,
what's he doing? He's hoping in God's word. He's
hoping in these promises God's made to him. That's his hope.
Listen to him there in verse 49. Psalm 119, 49. Remember the
word unto thy servant upon which thou hast caused me to hope.
Verse 50. This is my comfort in my affliction,
for thy word hath quickened me. Verse 81. My soul fainteth for
thy salvation, but I hope in thy word. You get that? My soul's fainting for thy salvation. Right now I'm fainting, Lord.
I can't even, I need you to save me. But at the same time, I open
thy word. My eyes fell for thy word, saying,
when wilt thou comfort me? Brethren, calling on the Redeemer
to deliver us, when you're calling on him to deliver you, You're doing one of the precepts
that He commands you to do. When you call on Him, He's commanded
you to call on Him. It's also His promise. It's according
to His Word. God commands His child in Psalm
50, verse 15, He says, Call upon Me in the day of trouble. I will
deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me. Call on Me in the
day of trouble. That's a command. That's, you
know, that's a command. Call on me, I'll deliver you
in the day of trouble, and you shall glorify me. Job 5.19 says,
He shall deliver thee in six troubles, yea, in seven there
shall no evil touch thee. Psalm 34.19 says, Many are the
afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out
of them all. Psalm 37.24 says, Though he fall, he shall not
be utterly cast down, for the Lord upholdeth them with his
hand. And here's David now. He's right
back where he's been, he's right back needing God to deliver him
again. But he hadn't forgotten these
commandments of God. He hadn't forgotten this good
news of the Lord. He was hoping in the word of
the Lord, just like he always had. So he calls on Him. He's
trusting in God's promises, so he calls on Him. That's why he's
calling the Good Shepherd. I've gone astray like a lost
sheep. Seek Thy servant, for I don't forget Thy commandments.
What did Christ come to this world to do? He came to save
His lost sheep. Our Lord Jesus came here because
we all went astray by Adam's one transgression. And he said
this, I'm the good shepherd, the good shepherd giveth his
life for the sheep. And Isaiah 53 says, all we like
sheep have gone astray, we've turned everyone to his own way,
and the Lord had laid on him the iniquity of us all. The Lord
took all our sin, our peevishness, and are getting bitter and acting
ugly and all the things that we do. Christ said, I'll take
it all. I'll take it all. I'll take it
all on Me and I'll bear it all. That's what Christ did for us.
He took it all. And you know what He did with
it? When He went in that tomb, it went in that tomb and it didn't
come out of that tomb. He put it all away. He put it
all away. He sought us then and He called
us by His grace and by His power and regeneration. You were a
sheep going astray, but you're now returned to the shepherd
and bishop of your souls. Well, that's it then. We won't
ever stray again. I believe, ask David about that.
Ask David about that. Well, you just talk about that
because you're trying to justify sin. There ain't no sin justified,
and you thinking that is sin, and it's not justified. You can't justify having thoughts
like that. That's sinful. Just as bad as
whatever you look at as sinful, it's just as sinful. I'm telling
you this, we are all just as sinful as the other. The problem
with us is we don't always think we are. That's the problem with
us. As long as it's always somebody else's fault, you won't ever
be in the dust looking to Christ only. You'll have no rejoicing
in Christ whatsoever while you're blaming somebody else. None.
None. Coming here is useless and you
might as well not even be doing it. Because there's no worshiping
God. Go to Christ. Get the matter
settled with Christ. and ask Him, beg Him, Lord, restore
me, quicken me, according to Your Word, deliver me, plead
my cause. He said this, talking about one of His sheep
straying, He said, how think ye, if a man have a hundred sheep,
and one of them be gone astray? Doth he not leave the ninety-nine,
and go into the mountain, and seek that which is gone astray?
Who's the ninety-nine? The Pharisees that didn't think
they needed any repentance. They thought within themselves
they were righteous and despised others. If I'm doing that to
you, I'm a Pharisee. If you're doing that to me, you're
a Pharisee. Think we don't need repentance. Me and you need repentance
all the time. There ain't a day goes by, not
a moment in that day that we don't need repentance. That's
just the truth. That's the truth. But what did the Lord say he
would do? He leaves the 99 and goes into the mountains and seeks
that which is gone astray. And if so, be that he find it,
and he always does. Verily I say unto you, he rejoices
more of that sheep than of the ninety-nine which went not astray.
Now hear that, he rejoices more of that sheep than of the ninety-nine
which went not astray. Even so, it's not the will of
your Father which is in heaven that one of these little ones
should perish, not one. Well, what's God's purpose in
this? What's God's purpose? Here it
is. It's for all the glory to go
to Him. That's where it's going to all
go. That's where it's all going to go. We start wanting glory.
We're not getting it. We're just not getting it, brethren. It's going to all go to Him.
But He'll make us delight that it all goes to Him. He said in
verse 171, My lips shall utter praise when thou hast taught
me thy statutes. My tongue shall speak of thy
word, for all thy commandments are righteousness. You see that?
My lips are utter praise. I'm gonna praise you, Lord, when
you've taught me your statute. My tongue's gonna speak of your
word, Lord, for all thy commandments are righteous. Look at verse
175. Let my soul live, and it shall praise thee. That's the
purpose of everything our Lord's doing. When God commanded us
to call on him in the day of trouble, and he promised he'd
deliver us, He declared exactly what the result would be. He
said in Psalm 50, 15, I read it to you a while ago, he said,
call upon me in the day of trouble, I will deliver thee, and thou
shalt glorify me. That's it. That's always the
purpose. Psalm 30.11, he said, Thou hast
turned from me my mourning into dancing. Thou hast put off my
sackcloth and girded me with gladness to the end for this
purpose, right here, that my glory may sing praise to Thee
and not be silent. Oh Lord, my glory, I'll give
thanks unto Thee forever. That's his purpose in it all.
David gave all the praise to God for afflicting him, and he
said, Lord, you did well to afflict me. Look here in verse 65. Thou has dealt well with thy
servant, O Lord, according unto thy word. It's just what you
told me you'd do in your word. Verse 71. It's good for me that
I have been afflicted, that I might learn thy statute. That's what
it's for. And that's what he always accomplishes.
Verse 75, I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right, and
that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me. That's right. That's why he does it. In faithfulness. In faithfulness. He prays God
for his faithfulness. He said, by God showing him mercy
again for the sake of Christ, he was given more understanding
that Christ Jesus and all God's covenant promises are all settled
in heaven. Look at verse 89. Forever, O
Lord, Thy Word is settled in heaven. Thy faithfulness is unto
all generations. Thou hast established the earth
and it abideth. How did He know that? Because
when He strayed, it didn't unsettle what Christ had settled for Him.
It did not change God's Word, God's purpose, one iota. God
had purposed it, Christ fulfilled it, and God blessed it to him. And he said, now I know by this
affliction, Lord, your word's settled in heaven. It's settled
in heaven. In Psalm 79, eight, he said,
oh, remember not against us former iniquities. Let thy tender mercy
speedily go before us, for we're brought very low. Help us, O
God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name, and deliver
us, and purge away our sins for thy namesake. And he said, so
we, thy people and sheep of thy pasture, will give thee thanks
forever. We'll show forth thy praise to
all generation. That's all of the Lord. That's
why He does it, to bring us to give Him praise and glory and
glorify Him. It's a good thing to give thanks
to the Lord and to sing praises unto Thy name, O Most High, for
Thou, Lord, hast made me glad through Thy work. I'll triumph
in the works of Thy hands. O Lord, how great are Thy works,
and Thy thoughts are very deep. Because of Christ's work on the
cross, He makes you see his covenant
is settled. It is settled. It is settled. It is settled. I pray God to help us. Let's
hear the word in our own heart and quit hearing it through the
filter of carnality and all the things we're filtering it through.
We've got to have God just open it to us and speak directly into
our heart. That's when it just needs to
be about you and the Lord, about me and the Lord, about this one
and the Lord, that one and the Lord, and the Lord deal with
each of us individually. And when he does it, when he
brings right there, you think David's going to have any problem
with anybody when he was brought to that place right there. He
said, I just He'd just be brought down to thank God for everything
he had. For everything he had. He would
have forgiven his enemies without them even apologizing to him.
He did already in his heart. Alright brethren, we'll observe
the Lord's table. Brother Ravi, can you and Adam
pass out the elements?