Please almighty God's to bless
us together as we meditate in his word this morning Let's turn
to the book of Psalms and Psalm 119 and we'll read the last verse
176 so Psalm 119 and reading verse 176 I Have gone astray like a lost sheep. Seek thy servant,
for I do not forget thy commandments. As we're all aware, this is a
long psalm, 119, and it has a tremendous amount of wonderful truth and prayer in it. We see really right through this
psalm how the psalmist and although it doesn't actually say will
appear it was written by David and we're thankful that we have
such a statement before us to realize that here we have the
breathings of a living soul not something which was just spoken
by mere form or just mere tradition just something that was familiar
which was spoken but really from the heart and indeed the whole
scripture really as we read so many accounts and so many testimonies
we see the honest statements of many people and here was an
honest statement of the psalmist He comes right to the end of
this psalm. You might think he would have
ended it in a different way, but quite clearly, under the
influence of the Blessed Spirit of God, he says, I have gone
astray. He writes it in a personal way. The psalm is written in a personal
way. And because it's written in a
personal way, we ought to be able to align ourselves with
it in a personal way and he says I have gone astray and he tells
us how he's gone astray like a lost sheep and then he tells
us his situation he says seek thy servant he confesses that
he is a servant and he seeks to be sought and then we come
and said for I do not forget thy commandments and again it's
good to be honest some people would often not speak such words
as this because they would think it was being proud and being
hypocritical but the psalmist spoke and he tells us for I do
not forget thy commandments and so we have wonderful truths really
in these few words We have this confession to start with by the
psalmist. I have gone astray. That means he's departed from
the truth of God, from the word of God. We're not given any details
of precisely what that meant and we can therefore recognize
that it's a comprehensive statement and it can come to each one of
us in our lives in whatever condition that may be appropriate and yet
you see he tells us he doesn't he doesn't dodge the issue he's
very honest he says I have gone astray he doesn't say well I
might go astray And the Spirit of God does make us honest in
our confessions. I have gone astray and it's good
to be able to come to God with confession. Prayer is, and should be, always
involve that statement of confession. because we are far from perfect
and we make mistakes and we disobey God and it's good when the Holy
Spirit comes into our hearts and shows us a little of what
we're really like. It doesn't show us everything,
it shows us a little of what we're really like, and then we
come to God in our prayer and are able to confess. Well, I
wonder if we do. If we do come to God and say,
Lord, I've gone astray. I've departed from the narrow
way. I wandered into the broad way. How easy it is to wander away. The devil's very active. He's looking for every opportunity
to turn us out of the way. There is a way that seemeth right
to a man, but the end thereof are the ways of destruction. We can often think we're perhaps
going in a right way, We can sometimes think we're doing the
will of God, but we need to be very careful and analyse our
heart as the Spirit gives us the ability to determine whether
we are doing that which is right, and whether that is God honouring,
or whether perhaps the way that we're going in is pleasing to
ourselves, but it may not be pleasing to our God. And so what a wonderful good
thing it is that the Lord has granted such statements in his
word, such confessions in his word, so that we may take them
to heart and recognise the relevance to ourselves. Because as we read
the Word, as we study the Word of God, it's good to be able
to see how there is an application to us in our lives. Indeed we
should be searching for that, to see how we measure up. to
the Word of God. Whether we are walking in accordance
with God's way, God's plan, or whether we're walking in that
way which just seems to be all right. Well, here we have this
statement, I have gone astray, and then he expands it a little,
and he says, like a lost sheep. like a lost sheep. Well, perhaps you've seen sheep
in fields and that, who may sometimes appear to be lonely. It's because
they may have wandered away, left the flock, followed a wrong
path, and therefore they're lost, and they can't find their way
back. to the flock, that they are isolated. And that may be the case in our
lives. If we wander away, we may appear
to be lost. We don't know where we're going. Perhaps we haven't got our eyes
fixed upon the right way. and we allow our eyes to wander
into the wrong way and therefore we're just like a lost sheep. Well we have testimonies or in
the Word of God about sheep as many testimonies as I'm sure
you're very much aware of sheep and we read the 10th chapter
of John which gives us so much about The Good Shepherd. And
the Lord tells us this himself. He says, I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd giveth his
life for the sheep. It's a wonderful statement, isn't
it? I've gone astray like a lost sheep. We were lost. We were lost. We wandered from
God. We were in this poor world, wandering
around. What a blessing if the Saviour
came and found us. Found us, this good shepherd
who giveth his life for the sheep. And not only that, he goes on
and tells us, and I give unto them eternal life, and they shall
never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. And so we may feel, we may feel
perhaps that we've wandered, we've gone astray, we may feel
that we're lost, but the great blessing is we're not out of
the sight of our God. He knows precisely where we are. He knows exactly where we've
got to and he knows what he will do for us and with us. And so we may feel in ourselves
we've gone astray and we can't claim any benefit for that. All we can do is to pray that
Lord have mercy upon us and we're just like a lost sheep, we wander
away and we need God to come and we need God to recover us
and to have that great and glorious confirmation that that wonderful
Saviour has indeed given His life for us. A lost sheep, we
don't deserve it. We don't deserve it. We haven't
done that which is right, we've done that which is wrong. And
yet to think that this Good Shepherd gives this amazing gift of eternal
life there's no greater gift that any of us can receive than
the gift of eternal life you know we can possess so many things
in this world and they will be of no value when we come to die. No value at all. And so what
a wonderful blessing it is to have the evidence that although
we've gone astray and although we appear perhaps to have been
lost, to think that our great and glorious God gives us this
gift of eternal life. Because if we receive that gift,
our eternal happiness is assured. Assured. No doubt about it. And so, He tells us, the glorious
Saviour says, And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall
never perish, and neither shall any man pluck them out of My
hand. It's a wonderful, encouraging
word, isn't it? I've gone astray like a lost
sheep. We may feel very guilty. We may
feel we're wandering around. And yet if the Lord should come
and speak into our souls, he gives us this great and perfect
gift of eternal life. There's no greater privilege
than to know this, in our hearts and we perhaps need to examine
ourselves and ask ourselves the question have we received this
gift? have we received the evidence
that we are those that God has given this great favour to of
eternal life and to realise therefore that we shan't perish We shan't
end up in hell because the Lord Jesus Christ has given his life. He shed his blood. Oh, what a
sacrifice it was. And the Lord of life and glory
condescended to come into this sinful world and live that perfect
life and live that sin-atoning death in order to redeem our
souls. Well, there we are. Lost sheep. Lost sheep. I've gone astray
like a lost sheep. Well, what a blessing and to
think also Another reference we have in the prophecy of Isaiah,
53rd chapter, which is search, a wonderful chapter. And we're
told, all we like sheep have gone astray, all of us. We have
turned everyone to his own way. yes we might think that's not
so but if God gives you and me grace to see how we've turned
away from God and yet we read and the Lord Almighty God hath
laid on him the iniquity of us all all the church of God the
price has been paid to take away their sin. We were indeed a lost
sheep. We're wandering around like a
lost sheep and yet to realise the wonderful comfort that we
have this glorious Saviour who indeed has taken our iniquity. You see if we've gone astray,
like a lost sheep, what we've done, we've offended God, we've
turned against God, that's why we're lost and yet God in his
wonderful love and mercy toward us redeems Well it's good isn't
it therefore to come and to have this honesty to have this confession
and not pretend that we're somebody very good but to be able to come
and confess I have gone astray like a lost sheep now the blessing
is of course that the statement doesn't stop there there is then
this this prayer this earnest prayer. Seek thy servant. Seek thy servant. Yes, Jesus
sought us when a stranger, wandering from the fold of God. Well, what
a blessing it is if we come like that and desire the Lord would
indeed look upon us. He'll find us. Perhaps we feel
far off. Perhaps we feel far away. Perhaps
we feel out of the secret. And we need God to come and to
seek us. Plead to God that he'll bring
us back into the fold. Let us not be left to wander,
but we may prove and its mercy endureth forever you know in
this wonderful psalm as you know we've actually gone
through this psalm at our prayer meeting some while ago and there's
the wonderful truth that thy word i think it occurs in every
paragraph in this every paragraph there is at least
one occasion where thy word or my word is before us and it is
a great blessing if when we come the Lord directs us to pray that
he will seek us, seek thy servant and in seeking us He directs
us to the Word of God. There's no greater blessing to
be searching the Word of God. When we wander off, to be brought
back. When we wander off, to be directed
to where we've got to. and to recognise the mercy and
favour of Almighty God. I have gone astray like a lost
sheep. Seek thy servant. That means we don't want to be
left. We don't want to be forsaken.
We don't want to be found just wandering away, wandering around
aimlessly. How many people today are aimless
in their lives. And that would have been our
situation. It may still be our situation, I don't know. We may
be quite aimless, really, in our lives. But what a blessing
if the Spirit of God comes and touches our heart and gives us
this prayer that He will seek us, find us where we are, and
bring us back to the fold, to the flock, that we may once again
enjoy that unity and fellowship with the Church of God and of
course Jesus in the midst. What a blessing it is to be dealt
with by the Holy Spirit and not left to ourselves. The devil
will endeavour to turn us away The devil will endeavour to portray
to us the comforts and blessings of this vain world and endeavour
therefore to turn us away from desiring that the Lord will seek
us and find us and bring us back. We have that wonderful picture,
don't we, of the Lord Jesus going after that sheep that was lost. Yes, he sought that sheep that
was lost. He didn't give up. He found the
sheep. He put the sheep on his shoulders
and carried it back. What a great savior we have.
We deserve, don't we, to be forsaken. We deserve to be left. We deserve
to be those that wander around. But what a blessing if God gives
us a prayer like this. Seek thy servant. And it's interesting
to note that first of all, there is the confession. First of all,
there is this confession. I've gone astray like a lost
sheep. We have to confess to God where
we are, what we're like, and not pretend we're some person
worthy of any notice. I've gone astray like a lost
sheep, and then seek thy servant. Oh, what a blessing it is if
the Spirit of God gives us confession and then prayer to God to be
sought. It follows this pattern. That's why we have it here. And
it's not a pattern that nature likes. We don't like to... come
and confess our condition, confess our sins, confess that we've
gone astray. We don't like to confess that,
but it's good when God gives us grace to come in with the
words of the psalmist. And it's wonderful that God's
given us his word, and his word describes his church. And what
a mercy when you and I feel it to be So in our lives, it describes
us. I have gone astray like a lost
sheep. Seek thy servant. Now, if you and I come there,
it's because the Spirit of God has put that desire in our heart. Naturally speaking, our lives
are like this. We would not have this man to
reign over us. But when God's grace comes upon
us, that free and merited favour, and touches our heart, and enables
us to come and to pray, seek thy servant. Seek thy servant. And what it shows to us is this. there was that belief and a humble
belief that we are indeed God's servants. And remember, a servant
doesn't just refer to those who preach the gospel, it refers
to every believer. So what a blessing this morning
if you and I have the evidence that we are one of those whom
God has called and one who has directed and one who has given
that grace to understand that they are in this world, on this
earth, as a servant to serve God. We're not, my friends, here
to serve ourselves. We're not here to please ourselves. What a mercy then to have the
evidence that We are willing to serve God, to be his servant
and then to pray that he will seek us as one of his servants
as we wandered away and as we lost ourselves to pray that he
will come to us and find us wandering around perhaps in this waste
howling wilderness The Lord said, didn't he, to Jacob, he found
him in a waste, howling wilderness. What a mercy when God finds you
and me. Finds us. What a blessing if
we sought him. We seek, desire that he will
seek us. And then the evidence that he's
found us. He's found us, and you know,
when the Blessed Saviour finds us, what occurs? He draws us to Himself. He draws us to Himself. And we
see the beauty and the glory, and we can understand. Then what
David said when he wrote the 23rd Psalm, and he says, Restore it, my soul. In our life, there are those
times when we wander away. We need the Spirit of God to
find us. and to restore us. Well, quite
clearly David knew the benefit of this. That's why he says,
he restoreth my soul. You and I won't be able to restore
ourselves. We shall need the help of Almighty
God. We shall need the strength of
Almighty God. to turn back from the way where
we've gone. We've gone astray. You know,
it's not easy to retrace our steps. When we retrace our steps,
we'll notice the places where we've gone astray. And they'll
be painful to our hearts. to realize how foolish and ignorant
we were and what a mercy then God dealt with us and caused
us to consider caused us to consider yes he saw us in our wild career
caused us to consider what a mercy then The Lord sometimes brings
us in this seekingness, He brings us into a time of affliction,
which we're not very happy about perhaps. But the Lord does do
this, sometimes natural and sometimes spiritual. But what a blessing
it is. and the psalmist says in this
119th Psalm he tells us in the 67th verse before I was afflicted
I went astray the Lord sometimes brings us in into times of affliction
to bring us back to make us consider to make us reconcile where we've
got to because of our sinful inclinations, and we can recognise,
before I was afflicted, I went astray. And yet God is love to
our souls, causes these things, and you and I can look into our
lives and see how that is true in our life, whether in a natural
way, or whether in a spiritual way or perhaps both uniting together
and yet what a mercy it is if we've come like the psalmist
says because he says before I was afflicted I went astray but then
he says but now have I kept thy word there's been a change the
Spirit of God has turned us turned us to keep his word to follow
his precepts to not be left to ourselves to just wander away
what a mercy it is therefore to have this God who gives us
that grace and that desire to keep the word of God to keep
the word of God and that's why The psalmist concludes this 119th
Psalm with this tremendous statement really, for I do not forget thy
commandments. We could say for I do not forget
thy law. What a blessing it is when the
Holy Spirit therefore turns us and brings us into remembrance
these things. You see the devil wants you and
me to forget God's laws, to forget his commandments, dismiss them
from our minds so they're not a problem to us and we can carry
on doing just what we want to do. But here again was a confession
and it's good again as I've said already to be honest he said
already I've gone astray like a lost sheep. That's a confession. and then a desire seek thy servant
and then this honest statement for I do not forget thy commandments
well if we don't know God's commandments we won't be able to say that
and we won't really know God's commandments unless we are amongst
those who follow his word That's why we have this statement. But now, have I kept thy word,
reading God's word, reading the truth of God's word, reading
the Holy Bible, and then keeping that word, desiring to follow
closely to the word of God, to follow the decrees which are
set forward. My friends, they're not grievous.
They're there for our good. And to be able to then experience
this wonderful favour, which of course is so true of Israel
of old and so true of spiritual Israel today. He, Almighty God,
led them forth by the right way that they might go to a city
of habitation. there's the prospect there's
the end of the journey that's what our life is about that to
be brought safely at last home to glory and to have that confirmation
the Lord is leading us and he leads us to recognize our condition
he leads us to confess we come to him and say Lord I have gone
astray just like a lost sheep, and then to seek. Seek thy servant. Oh, committing our way unto the
Lord, committing our whole being, our body and soul to our God.
Seek thy servant, Lord, We don't want to wander on aimlessly in
this poor old sinful world, just satisfying the lust of the flesh
and the pride of life. We want to have the evidence
that we are dealing with our soul and restoring our soul,
like David so aptly said, he restoreth my soul. good place
it's not always an easy place to be restored sometimes it's
like we're brought back with broken bones but it is a mercy
of God to be found we are being restored restored what that means
is to bring us back to once again be found seeking the Lord perhaps
we remember Days in our life when we sought the Lord, we prayed
to the Lord, we read the Word, we loved to do so and then perhaps
things became a bit dim and a bit distant and we need God to seek
us because God knows where we get to. Other people won't know. Other people can't understand
and can't see into our minds. God knows, what a blessing therefore
that you and I can confess our sins to our God, tell Him all
about us, tell Him our fears, and tell Him our concerns, and
pray that He will seek us and bring us back. Before I was afflicted,
I went astray. But now I have kept thy word. Well what a great blessing it
is if God gives us that desire then to keep his word and indeed
in doing so we won't then forget God's commands. We won't forget
then his law. the devil won't want you and
me to remember God's commands or to remember his laws he'll
want to dismiss them from our mind and he'll tell us well you
needn't worry about that that doesn't matter you can just do
this little thing it won't be any harm in it but you can be
absolutely sure if the devil quotes it like that there's no
harm in it then there is harm in it and you and I need to turn
away from it and to seek therefore that God will seek thy servant
and with that desire for I do not forget thy commandments. And what a blessing if that's
true therefore in our lives. You know the previous verses
in this 119th Psalm as we come to the end, the psalmist tells
us my lips shall utter praise when thou hast taught me thy
statute. So if God has directed us and
shown us his commands and his laws, then do we praise God for
the revelation of his truth to our heart. Do we rejoice in it? Well, the psalmist said, my lips
shall utter praise. There wasn't any doubt about
it. When thou hast taught me thy statutes, God teaches us.
You see, we've already said he led them forth by the right way. He teaches us in the way that
we should go. Let thine hand help me, for I
have chosen thy precepts. We won't choose God in and of
ourselves because the Word of God tells us, you have not chosen
me, but I have chosen you and ordained you that you should
go and bring forth fruit. and that your fruit should remain. It's good to realise and it's
good to praise God for them, recognising that God has chosen
us. And the psalmist says, I have
longed for thy salvation, O Lord, and thy law is my delight. Well, do we long for God's salvation? long for evidences and further
evidences that the Lord has loved us with an everlasting love. We can read these great truths
in the Bible, but we need them made over to us. with that personal
application so that we're able to come and say, yes, by the
grace of God, I know that the Lord has loved me with everlasting
love and with loving kindness has he drawn me. I've longed
for thy salvation. It may be you're longing for
it today, I don't know. Well, here we have a great God. who brings these things to pass. And then, let my soul live. Let my soul live. Let it not
be dead. Let it be alive. Let my soul
live. And it shall praise thee. And let thy judgments help me.
And so then he says, I have gone astray. I have gone astray like
a lost sheep. Seek thy servant, for I do not
forget thy commandments. What a blessing it is if God
has given us his law in our hearts. You know, in this Psalm 109th
verse we read, my soul is continually in my hand, yet do I not forget
thy law. It's good to remember the great
truths of God, the great plan of salvation. It's good to meditate
upon it. It's good to think upon it. You
know, the devil make us think about so many things which are
just not good. But the word of God is good. Thy word, thy word. What a mercy it is to know this. And this occurs to me, this other
statement where the psalmist says, I hate vain words, vain
thoughts rather. I hate vain thoughts, but thy
law do I love. What a difference, isn't it?
Vain thoughts and the law of God. So completely opposite,
and yet what a mercy if God gives us grace to truly hate vain thoughts. It doesn't say, well, I perhaps
give them a little room. It says, I hate vain thoughts. What a blessing when God enables
us to do that. We may have gone astray. Yes,
we may love vain thoughts. It's gone astray, like a lost
sheep. Seek thy servant, for I do not
forget thy commandments. And thy commandments are very
clear. They're in the Word of God and
that great commandment which the Lord tells us we are to take
up our cross and to follow the blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ. We're not to forget that. That's
God's Word to us. Yes, the path may not be easy,
but the path is good, and the path is right, and the path will
bring us at last home to glory. And that should be, therefore,
our great concern. For I do not forget thy commandments. Israel were given the right way. How often they departed from
it. And we know how much they had to suffer. when they departed
from the right way. And it's the same for us today.
When we depart from the right way, how easy it is to fall,
how easy it is to walk contrary to God. And the Lord tells us,
if ye walk contrary to me, I will walk contrary to you. We may
not always realize we're walking contrary to God. What a blessing
when, through his love and mercy toward us, he shows us and he
directs us that, yes, we've gone astray, like a lost sheep, but,
O Lord, look upon me, have mercy upon me, remember me with that
favour thou bearest unto thy people, and visit my soul with
thy salvation. Seek thy servant, For I do not
forget thy commandments. Well, it's not a long verse,
is it? But it's very true. It's very
full of instruction. And may you and I lay hold upon
it, and may it be a blessing to us. I have gone astray like
a lost sheep. Seek thy servant, for I do not
forget thy commandments. Amen.