I've been trying to preach through
a section at a time in this psalm, but I want today to break from
that a little bit, and I just want to first of all look at
this one verse. Our subject is wonderful testimonies. Thy testimonies are wonderful,
therefore doth my soul keep them. The word of God is the testimony
of God. And everything in this book are
the testimonies. The word means witness, witnesses,
the witness of God. And the first thing I wanted to point
out to you is God's testimonies, His witnesses what he bears witness
to, what he bears record to. These testimonies are wonderful
because they all bear witness of his son who is wonderful. You know Isaiah 9 6, unto us
a child is born, unto us a son is given and the government should
be upon his shoulder and his name should be called wonderful. Counselor, the Mighty God, the
Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. His name is wonderful.
His name is wonderful. You know, the Ark was called
the Ark of the Testimony. Inside the Ark was the Law of
God. When Moses brought it down, you
remember, he threw the tablets down. They were broken, but symbolizing
the people had broken the law while he was up in the mount.
The law was broken when God gave it to us. We'd already broken
it. So what did God do? He told Moses, take that testimony
and put it in the ark. And that ark is Christ. That's who's pictured in the
ark. It's Christ. The law was in the ark. Christ said, thy law is within
my heart. I came to do thy will, O God.
He came to obey and establish the law for his people. And that's
why he's the mercy seat. Over it was the mercy seat. The
blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat. That's where God said,
I'll meet with you. Christ is the testimony. If you want to
just get right down to it, Christ is the word. He's everything
God has to say to his people. Let me give you for John 1 later. Later we're going to see that
the entrance of God's words give light. But listen to this right
here. John 1 in the beginning was the
word. And the Word was with God, and
the Word was God. The same was in the beginning
with God, all things were made by him. Without him was not anything
made that was made. In him was life, and the life
was the light of men. Christ himself is the testimony. He is the one all God's Word
bears witness to, the Lord Jesus Christ. And what the book bears
witness to is what God, the triune God, in the person and work of
his son has accomplished for his people. That's the message
of this book, what he accomplished for his people. Isaiah 25.1 says,
O Lord, thou art my God. I will exalt thee, I will praise
thy name, for thou hast done wonderful things. That's why
the testimonies of God are wonderful, because they make us to know
the wonderful things that our God has done in Christ. Thy counsels of old are faithfulness
and true. This is what we behold in the
Lord Jesus. This entire book, go with me
to Revelation 19, this entire book is the testimony, the witness
of God concerning His Son. Romans 19 tells us this. Romans 19 5, a voice came out
of the throne saying, praise our God, all ye his servants,
and ye that fear him, both small and great. That's always the
message. Exalt the Lord, bow to him, praise
him, give him all the glory for saving. And so verse 10, and
I fell at his feet to worship him. He heard this voice, but
it wasn't the voice of the Lord, it was the messenger that was
speaking. And so look what he said, he
said to me, see thou do it not, I'm thy fellow servant, and of
thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God, for the
testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. He's declaring that
everything this book says, the whole word of God, is the testimony
of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's bearing witness to Christ.
That's why John said this is the record. God's given He's
given to us his son. He's given life and that life's
in his son. And he said, if you have Christ,
you have the witness in you. You have the testimony in you.
God's born witness in your heart. So that's the first thing to
know. The Lord's testimonies are wonderful because they all
lead to Christ and bear witness of Christ and declare this is
God's salvation. This is God's salvation. There
is no coming to God any other way but through faith in the
Lord. There's no pleasing God. There's
no obeying God. There's no walking before God.
There's nothing that will satisfy God but faith in his Son. Faith in his Son. Now, let's
consider what God's testimonies declare. What do they declare? Why are they wonderful? What
do they declare? Well, God's testimonies in the
law, the law given at Sinai, the moral law, the Ten Commandments
are God's testimonies. And they bear record that every
son of Adam is a guilty sinner. Every son of Adam is a guilty
sinner. Romans 3.10, as it's written,
there is none righteous, no not one. Therefore, by the deeds
of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in his sight, for
by the law is the knowledge of sin. God bears witness. His testimony to you and me is
you are a sinner, a guilty sinner. That's wonderful when God reveals
it to you. That's wonderful because to his
elect, He reveals this and he leads you to Christ who is wonderful. That's why it's wonderful. The
law was our schoolmaster unto Christ. The law was given to
show us our guilt and our sin, the knowledge of sin, unto Christ
that we might be justified by faith, by Christ's faithfulness,
that we might fulfill the righteousness the law demands through believing
on the Lord Jesus. That's what justified by faith
is. He justified his people and he gives you faith to rest that
you are righteous by his doing. You see, the law declares God
demands perfection. The law declares God is perfection. He's holy, he's just, he's good. That's what he demands. And you
and me could not provide that And God didn't settle for less.
He sent the very best. And Christ came and did the very
best God can do, which is absolute perfection. And that's why we
have to have Christ, because God will not take anything but
holy perfection. and that's the righteousness
Christ is for his people. But then God's testimonies throughout
the ceremonial law and through all the prophets, they bear witness
that that's who Christ is, that he is the righteousness of God,
that he's the righteousness God provided for his people. Go with
me to Romans 3. This is why his testimonies are
wonderful when God's revealed Christ in us and shown us our
sin. They're wonderful because we
see we're the sinner, guilty, can never come to God by the
deeds of the law, but they lead you to Christ who is Righteousness,
and that's what all the ceremonial law was declaring. That's what
all the prophets declare, that Christ is the righteousness God
demands. Romans 321, but now the righteousness
of God without the law is manifested. being witnessed by the Law and
the Prophets. There's the testimonies of the
Law and the Prophets. They witness, the Law witnesses
and the Prophets witness of one who is the righteousness of God.
Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ,
by his obedience. Unto all that righteousness is
unto all and upon all them that believe. There's no difference,
there's no other way of coming to God. For all have sinned and
come short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His
grace through the redemption that's in Christ Jesus, whom
God has set forth at propitiation through faith in His blood. That's
the only way, through faith in His blood. Do you believe Christ's
blood? Do you believe Christ's blood is your righteousness?
The Pharisees didn't believe this. They were going about to
establish their own righteousness, and they were ignorant of God's
righteousness. They wouldn't submit to God's
righteousness. And Paul said, and God's righteousness is his
son. He's the end of the law for righteousness to everyone
that believes. And God set him forth to declare his righteousness
for the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance
of God. That's saying that all the Old Testament saints that
were saved, they were all saved by this one righteousness. God
was forbearing till Christ came and he forgave them for the sake
of Christ their surety. And he's forgiven all you that
he's brought to believe on him. And he said again, I'm declaring
at this time his righteousness. This is why Christ came, that
he might be just and a justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
We're boasting then. This is the only way that we're
not going to boast that we've done something. The only way. Any other way that men are coming
to God, they're boasting. Just ask them. You'll hear it. This is excluded. It's not excluded
by works. It's excluded by the law of faith. Therefore, we conclude a man's
justified by faith without the deeds of the law. That goes for
Jew and Gentile. Verse 31, do then we make void
the law through faith? Are we doing what men say we're
doing? Men accuse us of, you just, you just ignore the law.
No, I'm telling you, you can't keep the law, and to tell sinners
you can is to telling them to break the law and try to come
to God a way that God says he won't receive. The law had to be upheld. The
law had to be fulfilled because God's just, and he did. Christ suffered in the room instead
of his people and justified God in being merciful to us because
he upheld his own law. And that's the only way. We're
not making void the law through faith. We're establishing the
law through faith. That's exactly what he means
because Abraham's the example in the next chapter, and he didn't
have the law. not the law of Sinai. Now when
God gives you faith to believe on Christ and you behold Christ
and you see you're the guilty sinner, this is wonderful because
you hear the testimonies of God declaring He's your righteousness
and your righteousness in Him and I receive you and that's
wonderful. That is absolutely wonderful. Now lastly, God's testimonies
are wonderful because they include God's everlasting covenant promises
to Christ. And therefore, they are sure
and certain to his people. God's everlasting covenant is
to his son. Now, strictly speaking, God's
covenant is not with you and me. God's covenant is with his
son. His son represented you that believe him. And God made
a promise to him that when he obeyed God and fulfilled all
that was written, God would make him higher than the highest.
And that's what God did. But because Christ did that and
his people did it in him, all those promises that God made
to his son, they're ours in Christ. That's when you find out the
testimonies of God are wonderful. It was God's everlasting covenant
to his son. that Christ kept in his very
soul when he walked this earth that kept him looking to the
Father and knowing the Father would not suffer his holy one
to see corruption. He had these promises of God
and it's the same testimonies that God makes in our new ark
that makes us keep walking by faith, trusting Christ, and knowing,
come what may, whether you've fallen, whether you are opposed
or whatever, you have the promise of God, and God can't lie, and
he says, these promises are sure in my son to you. And that keeps
you walking by faith. Let me show you this in Isaiah
55.3. Isaiah 55.3. These sure mercies of David,
they're the sure mercies God made to Christ. They were sure
to David because they were God's covenant promise to Christ. Isaiah
55 3, incline your ear and come unto me, here in your soul shall
live. And I will make an everlasting
covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. Behold, I've
given him for a witness. He is the witness. He's the testimony
of God. Christ is. I've given him for
a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people.
Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations
that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the Lord
thy God and for the Holy One of Israel, for he hath glorified
thee. You remember when God called
Abraham? And God said to Abraham, he said, unto thy seed have I
given this land. And he said, I'll make thy seed
to multiply as the stars of heaven. I'll give unto thy seed all these
countries. He's telling Abraham, I'm giving
you everything, Abraham, and all your spiritual children,
I'm giving everything. And then he said this, and in
thy seed, shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. He's
not talking about in his people, in his children. He said, in
thy seed. This was the covenant God made
with Christ. Let me show you Galatians 3. Galatians 3 and verse 16. He's gonna quote Genesis 15,
18, he's gonna quote Genesis 26, 4, where God told Abraham,
in thy seed shall all nations of the earth be blessed. Verse
16, now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made, the covenant
made, the testimonies were made. He saith not to seeds as of many,
but as of one, and to thy seed, which is Christ. That's what
we just read in Isaiah 55. When God said, I give you the
same covenant promises I gave the sure mercies of David, they're
the sure mercies of Christ. Because God made this covenant
to Christ. Look, verse 17, and this I say,
then, the covenant This is the everlasting covenant of grace
that was confirmed before of God in Christ. This was confirmed to Abraham
by God in and by the Lord Jesus. And the law, which was 430 years
after that, the law of Sinai, cannot disannul this covenant,
that it should make the promise of none effect. For if the inheritance
be of the law, Please understand what that means. If you have
one thing you did whereby you believe God's receiving you because
of something you did, you're trying to earn it by works and
not have it freely given you by the covenant of God's promise. You see there, if it's of the
law, it's no more of promise. But God gave it to Abraham by
promise. Well, why, what then, wherefore
then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions.
There's a lot of people in this world that think they can come
to God by the law and they're trying to keep it. And one thing
it does is for God's people, it makes the world a little better
place to live because it restrains them. But it was given also to
show his people our transgressions, show us we're guilty. But it
was only till the seed should come Only to Christ should come,
to whom the promise was made. Do you see that? The seed to
whom the promise was made is Christ. Verse 21, is the law
then against the promises of God? God forbid. If there had
been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness
would have been by the law. But the scripture hath concluded
all under sin, that the promise by the faithfulness of Jesus
Christ, by his obedience, might be given to them that believe. But before faith came, we were
kept under the law. shut up unto the faith which
should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore, the law is our schoolmaster
unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after
that faith has come, we're no longer under a schoolmaster,
for you are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. That's the sure mercies of God
the Father to our substitute, to our substitute. And Christ
made covenant promises to our Heavenly Father. He promised
he would redeem his people, purchase us from the curse and condemnation
of the law by shedding his own precious blood. And in so doing,
he would justify all his people and he would declare God just.
He would die and justice would be satisfied upon him, and in
that he would justify his people so that God's just and the justifier. He's just to show mercy to his
people. And Christ had that covenant
promise in his heart the whole time he walked this earth. And
that's what Peter said on the day of Pentecost. David, when
he said, thou will not suffer thy holy one to see corruption,
David was a prophet. He was speaking the words of
Christ. That's what Christ was saying when he went to the cross.
I have God's promise. I have my father's promise. He
will not suffer his holy one to see corruption. He won't leave
me in the grave. That's the perfect faith that
we're saved by. You think about that. He's going
to bear hell in place of his people, and he's going to die,
and he's trusting the covenant word of the Father that he will
not remain in that grave. He will come out of that grave.
That's faithfulness. That's faithfulness. And it's
these same testimonies that God makes in our heart and teaches
you and me these covenant mercies we have for Christ's sake that
keep us walking by faith in Christ. Because all the promises of God
in Christ are yes and in Christ amen unto the glory of God. That's
what keeps you walking by faith. This is the record. This is the
testimony. This is the witness. God hath
given to us eternal life. This life's in his Son. He that
hath the Son hath life. He that hath not the Son of God
is still trying to come to God partly, maybe he's coming partly
by Christ, partly by himself. He doesn't have life. These things have I written to
you that believe on the name of the Son of God. Why? Why do
you, if they already believe, why tell us these same things
over and over again? That you might know you have
eternal life, and that you might continue believing on the name
of the Son of God. See, God's testimonies are gonna
keep us looking one place, just to Christ, just to Christ. That's what the sin of Jeroboam
was. He said, it's too much for you to have to go up to Jerusalem
and meet in that one place God said he'd meet with you. That
one Savior God said, I'll meet you right there on that mercy.
It's too much for you to have to go all the way there. Let
me make you something more convenient for you. I'll put you a golden
calf down here and you won't have to go up there. God's going to keep bearing these
testimonies in our heart, and He's going to keep His children
walking by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, looking to Christ
alone. He's all the salvation of His
people. This is why God's saints declare,
verse 129, thy testimonies are wonderful. Therefore does my
soul keep them. This is what keeps me. This is
what keeps me in hope. This is what keeps me in faith.
This is what keeps me walking. This is what keeps me knowing
that come what may, my sovereign God's ruling it all and it's
all for my good. This is what is the delight of
my soul. the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom
all God's testimonies are sure. I pray God bless that. God, our Father, we thank you
for this word. Thank you, Lord, that you have
borne witness in the hearts of your people, made us sure and
certain that Christ is the testimony Thank you, Lord, that you'll
meet with us in the mercy seat, through propitiation, through
faith in his blood, that one in whom your law has
been honored and magnified like nobody else could do it. Lord,
keep us walking after you. Keep us looking only to Christ
and help us, Lord, to bear witness of you and declare this message
to all who will listen. Lord, we pray you would truly
give this word into the heart today in those that have not yet believed
on you, Lord, and in the hearts of those that do. Bear witness
in our hearts again. Speak in power and make us know
this is true. Only You can do this, Lord, and
we're looking only to You. Lord, we praise You. We thank
You. Your works are wonderful. You have done wonderful, wonderful
things for Your people. Lord, don't let us play the harlot.
Don't let us look any other place to any other person but Christ. And we ask you, Lord, keep us,
keep us for your name's sake. We thank you for this word, in
Christ's name, amen.