May I please God to bless our
souls this morning as we consider his word. Let's turn to the Psalm
31 and verse 19. Psalm 31 and verse 19. Oh, how great is thy goodness,
which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee, which thou hast
wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men." We have before us in this 31st
Psalm really the outpouring of David's heart in prayer to his
God. And it is therefore important
for us to realize that those things that David spoke were
very much in the presence of God and to God. And it shows
to us how David viewed himself and where his hope was and where
his trust was. And as we go through this psalm
and see what his true condition was before God. Then, as it were,
he then breaks out and looks forward. He's speaking of the
things of this time and the things which are a concern to him and
the difficulties and the trials and the problems which he's facing. And of course, we all have a
similar condition to that in our life. And then he breaks
out and he says, Oh, how great is thy goodness, which thou hast
laid up for them that fear thee, which thou hast wrought for them
that trust in thee before the sons of men. He's now looking
forward to the scene in glory. He's now looking forward to that
wonderful scene which God has prepared for his people. And
it brings things then into a very good and a very right perspective,
so that we then have some understanding of the trivial things in this
life by comparison. Although when we're walking in
the world, these things are often mountains too, and they're great
problems and they seem to crush us, but yet it's good when we
can look beyond our life on this earth, our temporal life, the
life which is fading rapidly to that eternal life which is
forever and ever. And surely that is the view that
encourages the Church of God, those who are true believers. And they do confess and they
do say, well, For here we have no continuing
city, but we seek one to come." Now, very clearly, David was
expressing such a statement in these words when he says, Oh,
how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that
fear thee. Yes, the Lord had gone to prepare,
has gone to prepare that place for his family. his people, his church, and it's
laid up there. I often think and say it is a
reserved place for a redeemed people. And to think of that,
very humbling, isn't it? If you and I consider that God,
the great God, the almighty God, that one who made all things
is in control of all things, has reserved a specific place
in glory for you and me." Isn't that amazing to think of that? That there is a place that no
one else can occupy. It's reserved. We know what that means, don't
we? We go to perhaps conferences or situations and there's a seat
reserved for us. Well this is a far more glorious
reservation. It's a place in heaven reserved
for all his people, individually. And so may we have the evidence
in our hearts of the great goodness of the Lord to this effect. And
it's an expression which is full and it's true. As David says,
great is thy goodness. Oh how great is thy goodness.
And I'm sure as we have some understanding of our sinfulness,
as David did, to recognise it is the goodness of the Lord.
It's not something that you and I can say, well, I've lived a
good life and therefore I'm now going to heaven, I'm going to
that place which I've merited, I've worked all these things,
I've done all these things. We'll come and say we are unprofitable
servants. We've only done that which it
was our duty to do. So David comes, and it's a very
blessed psalm, this one really, and it was a song to sing. It
was written to the chief musician. It wasn't to be put aside and
put in the corner. It was there to be sung, and
so the chief musician might be very much aware of it. And it's
good, isn't it, for us to realise how David is able to express
so often the desires and the concerns our heart and he commences
in this way and says in thee O Lord do I put my trust. Well this morning we look at
ourselves. Is our trust in the Lord? Now
it's in two ways that is. Our trust is in the Lord for
the things of time. My friends our trust is in the
Lord for the things of eternity. And that is the great issue.
And it's good for you and me today if we come like this and
can confess to our God. You see, David was an honest
man. He was honest in the sight of
God. And he's able to express the true concerns, the true desires
of his heart. And therefore he comes and he
speaks in this way, in thee, O Lord, do I put my trust. And it's good to ask ourselves
that question today, if it's true In our lives, if we are
really putting our trust in the Lord, or whether we're trusting
in ourselves, whether we're relying on our own ability, our own knowledge,
all those things that we can do, or whether we are putting
our trust in our God. Now David says, in thee, O Lord,
do I put my trust. You and I must answer before
God whether it is so. But may it be so. And may we
be able to trace out our spiritual life in accordance with the Word
of God. We have the Word of God, which
is a wonderful guide to us. It's a map for us. It's that
which describes the path of the child of God. And my friends,
as you and I read an account like this, the prayer of a man
of God, to be able to trace out our soul's experience and be
able to come and acknowledge, yes, I can bless God for the
Word of God, because there I see a description of myself. In thee, O Lord, do I put my
trust. And then he says, let me never
be ashamed. Never be ashamed. Never be ashamed
of the trust he has in his God. Well, my friends, we can be sure
of this. If our trust is in the Lord, we shall not be ashamed.
We may be fearful about it, like David was, but we shall never
be ashamed because God is with us. If God has put this prayer
in our heart, And bless God if he has put it in our heart. And
it's not just words. I'm very fearful in a day and
age in which we live that there are many prayers which are not
prayers. Many prayers which are just words,
which don't really come from our heart. They're not the outward
effect of the work of God within. And so he says, let me never
be ashamed. Deliver me in thy righteousness. delivered. He needed to be delivered.
There will be, of course, a time of deliverance from this sinful
world. The Lord comes and takes his
ransomed people home. And the hymn writer says, Shall
I among them stand? That's a great question, isn't
it? The great question as we think of David's expressions
here Do we concur with them? Do we agree with them? Do they
express our hearts? Do we say, oh I bless God for
the Word of God because there I read a description of my life. Deliver me in thy righteousness,
bow down thine ear to me. He didn't want to be ignored
by God. That's because he had a real
need. My friends, do we not want to be ignored by God? that really our concern today? We got up this morning and we
desire that God would listen to our prayers as we pray to
him and I hope we all have prayed to God this morning for his blessing
to be upon us. We haven't just come because
it happens to be Sunday and we think we should arrive at chapel
to have to just clear our conscience. My friends we come I hope we
come, that we come with a true prayer, that God will hear, that
God will look upon us. Now, David's need was great. He doesn't say well, so be it. He asked God that he might be
delivered speedily. He wanted God to come to his
aid quickly. He had a real need for his soul. It wasn't something he could
put on the back burner and just leave it there to simmer away.
No, he wanted God to deal with him. He wanted God to come to
him. He wanted God to appear for him.
He wanted God to speak to him. And how necessary that is and
how good it is in our spiritual life if the Lord leads and directs
us into that situation. Now, he acknowledges his faith
in God. His faith in God. is your faith
and my faith in God this morning. He says, be thou my strong rock
for a house of defence to save me. For thou art my rock and
my fortress. Therefore for thy name's sake,
lead me and guide me. He was dependent upon the Lord
for these blessings. He wasn't relying on his own
abilities his own knowledge of his own acumen to be able to
formulate a right way for him he was looking to the Lord and
that's why I wanted God to hear his prayer the Lord be gracious
to him and his confidence was in his God he was the strong
rock for a house of defense to save me his condition his belief
was in his God and therefore He then said, for thy name's
sake, lead me. Why did he say that? So that
God's name might be honored and glorified. For thy name's sake,
lead me. So that he would be able to say,
he led me forth by the right way. It was God that did it.
That's why he comes and he prays in such a way as this. Oh yes,
for thy name's sake, lead me. and guide me." He wanted God
to lead him. He wanted God to guide him. And
you might say, well, of course that's obvious. Well, it might
be. But it's not obvious the way that we sometimes follow
the Word of God, because we have our own ideas, and we have our
own plans. and we think they're logical,
and we think they're right, and therefore we may follow them. But it's good to have an open
mind to our God and to realise that what we may have thought
was right may not prove to be right, may not prove to be God's
way. And to come in simplicity, like David, and David was a great
king and a blessed man, and yet he comes like this. And he says
that the Lord would guide him, would lead him, lead me and guide
me. Lead me and guide me. Now, simple
statement, isn't it? But you know, there's a lot in
it. Because if we really pray that, that means that we're willing
for God to take hold of us and to lead us in a right way and
to guide us by his counsel. And my friend, sometimes that
will be a very different way, perhaps, to what we expected.
You know, you think of David's life. You think of David's life. There he was, brought up as a
shepherd, and God helped him to defeat that lion and that
bear. And there he was, looking after
the sheep, and then he was anointed to be king. All his brothers
were passed by, and there he was called, and Samuel called
him, and there he was, anointed to be king. And no doubt, he
thought, well, that's the position everything will now work out.
Everything will be plain sailing. You've only got to follow David's
life, haven't you? And I suppose there's the most
written about David than any other person in the Word of God.
And we see David. Was he immediately king? Not
at all. He was chased around by a king's sword. He feared
for his life. He had to run away. He had to
hide. Was he being led? Yes, he was. Was he being guided? Yes, he
was. But it was a very different path to the one that he no doubt
would have expected and yet He was being led in the right way,
and he was being led in that way where God would show his
wonderful power, his keeping power, his delivering power. Yes, David was delivered on numerous
occasions from the hand of Saul. And so we can understand the
simplicity of this statement. For thy name's sake, lead me
and guide me. And remember, he's seeking the
Lord will lead him and guide him through this life. He was
looking beyond this life. But nonetheless, he wanted the
Lord to lead and guide him in this life, so that he wouldn't,
as it were, make shipwreck of life. No, the Lord would be with
him and round about him to preserve him. He knows there were those
traps set for him. He tells us here, pull me out
of the net that they have laid privily for me, for thou art
my strength. Now, the devil will lay nets
for us. He'll try and trap us. He'll
try and trap us. And I often speak in those words
in Proverbs. It's recorded twice. There is
a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the ends thereof for
the way of death." It's not the way that seems right to us, it's
the way that is right. And sometimes the way that seems
wrong is the way that God leads us in. Because it's the way that
then we have to dispense with our own strength, our own ability,
and we have to come and pour out our heart to our God, we have to commit all our way
unto the Lord and trust in Him. And perhaps we have fallen into
the net the devil has laid for us. Yes, it may appear to be
a right way, appear perhaps that It would have been naturally
good for our own, what people would think of us. And yet, you
see, we were foolish enough to allow ourselves to be drawn into
a snare, a net the devil's laid for our feet. And we may have
gone boldly into that, thinking it was the right way, but in
fact, it was not. And so we have this situation
that the psalmist David calls for God, it's a prayer to put
him out of the net. Now you and I may have got entangled
in a net. My friends, the world is a vast
net. There are many different nets.
And the devil lays all these nets out to try and catch us. And you see, If you're in a net,
you can't do very much, can you? If you fall into a net and it's
closed upon you, you can't do very much. We don't actually
do it physically, do we? But you can think of the picture,
can't you, of a fisherman with a net. The fish can't get out,
can it? It's in the net, it's gone in,
and the fish can't get out. If the fish is going to be allowed
to live, The fisherman has to take it out or empty the net.
He can't get it out by itself. And it's just the same really.
As David said here, he said, pull me out of the net that they
laid for him. O Lord God, for Thou art my strength. Again, we see a very simple statement,
but it's good to recognize that David realized that he was dependent
upon his God. He was dependent upon his God.
And sometimes the Lord allows us to fall into nets so that
we realise we're not as strong and as good as we thought we
were. Yes, we may have been relying on our own knowledge. It might
be in things of God. We might be relying on the things that
we think is true. Well, it may be true in one sense.
We may not have considered the whole counsel of God. And therefore,
we may have fallen into a net. We need God to come. and to pull
us out into thine hand. I commit my spirit, thou hast
redeemed me, O Lord God of truth." He's speaking here about his
spiritual life. And we're often occupied with
our natural life, aren't we? We spend a lot of time in our
natural life, a lot of time praying about our natural life, but our
spiritual life is so much more important than our natural life. Because our spiritual life is
eternal. Our natural life is just for a few years, and then
it will cease. And so we see here, he says,
into thy hand I commit my spirit. Thou hast redeemed me. He had
the evidence of God's blessing in his heart, that God had redeemed
him, the Lord Jesus had died for him, his soul had been delivered. He says, O Lord God of truth,
Well, we have a God who is true. Isn't that a consolation in this
world of lies? And of course, you know, we have
in us a lying disposition. What a blessing it is to know
that we have a God who is truth. I've hated them that regard lying
vanities, but I trust in the Lord. I'll be glad and rejoice
in thy mercy, for thou has considered my trouble. Now it's known my
soul in adversities. Our soul in adversities. I wonder, again, if you and I
understand what David says. Our soul in adversity. He's not
speaking now about when he was chased about by Saul. He's speaking
about his soul being in adversity. When the devil opposes him, had
opposed him, And he was in a great straight. He didn't know what
to do. He didn't know what to think. Yes, but the Lord was
gracious to him. Thou hast known my soul in adversities. Has our soul been in adversity?
That means when things are going against us, not for us. Yes,
when the devil stacks everything against us. We can't seem to
see our way clear. All we can see is our own evil
sin. Yes the adversity which is against
us and it's not shut up shut me up into the into the hand
of the enemy thou has set my feet in a large room. You see
the Lord had come and delivered David and in a large room he
could we could walk around he wasn't shut up he wasn't confined
he could walk at large you know things of God as it were spiritually
he could walk up and down in the gospel And he could rejoice
in the truth of God. Well, again, I wonder if God
has sent us in a large place sometimes. We've been able to
rejoice in the Word of God. But he comes and says, have mercy
upon me, O Lord, for I am in trouble. My eye is consumed with
grief, yea, my soul and my belly. We do come into times of spiritual
trouble. Yes, we do. He says, for I am
in trouble. I am in trouble. See, life is
not easy. Life is full of trouble. Yes,
man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upwards. It is through
much tribulation that we should inherit the kingdom. There is
much trouble. We come to say, the Lord brings
us, as you see, into trouble. Why does God bring us into trouble?
Why is it that we come into trouble? It's to make us pray to God.
If you and I didn't have any trouble, we would not pray to
God. Because everything would be smooth,
we'd be happy with our natural life, we wouldn't be looking
forward to our spiritual inheritance, We'll be satisfied with this
poor old world. And that's why the Lord, in his
mercy, causes us to walk in the world where there is trouble.
Trouble without, very often, and trouble within, very often.
Yes, and we have to cry out sometimes because of the trouble within.
Can ever God dwell here? It's because even of our heart,
the sinful thoughts, sinful considerations and they drag us down and we
cry out in our time of spiritual trouble. My friends, the Lord
brings us into these situations to make us sick of ourselves,
sick of ourselves. We don't then pat ourselves on
the back and say what a great person I am, what a good example
I'm setting. We have to realize what a failure
we are in life. How bad our example is. How evil
is our heart. And that's what causes us to
come and cry out to God. Like this, O Lord, for I am in
trouble. My life is consumed with grief, yea, my soul and
my belly, for my life is spent with grief and my years with
sighing. Well, do we sigh? Children of
God do sigh. They sigh when the Lord reminds
them, perhaps of their sin. Directs them to the even of their
heart cause him to sigh child of God sighs before his God My
strength faith because of my iniquity and my bones are consumed.
I was a reproach among all my enemies But especially among
my neighbors and a fear to mine acquaintance They that did see
me without fled from me. I am forgotten as a dead man
well It's a good expression, isn't it? We know what a dead
man's like. We forget about a dead person, don't we? We might remember
him for a time. Those who, of course, who are
acquaintances, they might remember, but you think of the people that
died 200 years ago, well, they're forgotten, aren't they? Nobody
knows them. Nobody remembers them at all. In any detail, they're
forgotten. And it describes himself like,
for I have heard the slander of many Fear was on every side
while they took counsel together against me. They devised to take
away my life." Well, the enemy sometimes comes in like a flood. You know what a flood's like,
don't you? A flood covers everything. But David then says, he comes
and refers again to the beginning of this prayer. But I trusted
in thee, O Lord. I said, Thou art My God. And that's a lovely expression,
isn't it? And that's a lovely consideration, and a lovely condition
to be in. To be able to come to our God,
when you and I are pouring out our heart to our God, in private
prayer, and we're saying, but I trust in thee, O Lord. I said,
thou art my God. You see, it's coming to God,
very simply. My times are in thy hand. deliver
me from the hand of my enemies and from them that persecute
me." Yes, he wanted to be delivered and he tells us, he's telling
the Lord, yes, his times were in the hand of God and what a
good thing that is. All our times, every day that
we walk in this world, the Lord knows about us. Our times are
in his hand. He has Complete control of us. Complete control of you and me.
Now that's a wonderful blessing. You might think, well, I'm not
so sure. Well, it is. It's a wonderful blessing to
know that our times, all our life, is in the hand of Almighty
God. Yes, isn't that a consolation
to think of that? Every day, it's in the Lord's
hand. The Lord has control. The Lord
deals with us. in accordance with his purposes.
And then his prayer is, make thy face to shine upon thy servant. Save me for thy mercy's sake. Now to see the face of the Lord. To view his face, by faith, what
it means is the Lord looking upon us. The Lord being gracious
to us. Yes, making his face to shine
upon us. That means he's looking upon
us in love to our souls. Yes, he's brought us into trouble.
He's shining upon us for good, because all things work together
for good to those who love God and those who are according to
his purpose. And the Word of God is true.
It's not always easy to assimilate But the fact is, we're told all
things work together for good. So they do. It's not just one
thing here and one thing there and the rest is evil. The Lord
is working in accordance with His divine purpose and everything
is coming together and it's all working together for our eternal
good. Our time's in thy hand, deliver
me from the hand of mine enemies and from them that persecute
thee. Make my face to shine upon thy servant. Save me for thy
mercy's sake. Let me not be ashamed, as he
said earlier, O Lord, for I have called upon thee. He didn't want
to be found in that position where he called upon God and
God did not answer. Now, my friends, if you and I
call upon the name of the Lord in faith, in accordance with
his will, he will answer. But just remember, it may not
be when you and I think." The Lord will answer. He will hear. He will answer. Let the lion
lips be put to silence which speak grievous things proudly
and contemptuously against the righteous. And then he comes
down. And it's as though he bursts out with this. Having told the
Lord all about his condition, all his fears, Seeking the Lord
will help him and direct him. And now he bursts out with this.
Oh, how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them,
that fear thee, which thou hast wrought for them, that trust
in thee before the sons of men. Yes, there is this heavenly prospect
set before the church of good, God. And it is his goodness to
his people, which he's laid up for them. For that fear they,
the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The Lord gives that
fear. It's a blessed fear. And it's
a fear that the Lord grants and favours us with, which thou hast
wrought for them. The Lord has brought it about. The Lord has done it. It's the
work of God. And here it's set before us,
which thou hast wrought for them, that trust in thee before the
sons of men. It's done for them. What is done
for them? The inheritance has been purchased
for them. It's a wonderful prospect to
think of and to meditate upon. And as you and I are therefore
bowed down, sometimes the many things which trouble us to be
able to look beyond the things of this world, to those eternal
blessings, those eternal glories that the Lord has prepared for
the suffering Church of Christ. What a blessing it is to have
such a God. And what is prepared? Isaiah
tells us, for since the beginning of the world men have not heard
nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside
thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him." The
Lord has prepared a great and glorious inheritance for all
his people, and it's been brought about, wrought out, that's wrought
for them, How has it been wrought out for them? Through the shed
blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is how our inheritance has
been secured for us. It's not been secured because
of what you and I have done, because that would never secure
it, but it's been secured by God himself. The Lord Jesus Christ
has secured our inheritance for us because he has redeemed us
to himself. He's laid down his life in order
to accomplish the requirements of the divine law of God in shedding
that blood to atone for the sins of his church. Now David here,
remember of course he lived many years before the Lord Jesus Christ,
but by faith he could look forward and to be able to tell us which
thou hast wrought for them, that trust in thee. Yes, it's a work
which is complete, a work which is finished, a work which has
been wrought out, a work upon which David depended. My friends
today, Do you and I depend upon the finished work of Christ?
Again, let's come back to the position. Here we are in this
world, in this earth, in the sinful earth, with all the problems
which it entails, all the trials and temptations, all the oppositions,
and yet to look beyond this life, look beyond this life to those
things which God has prepared for his people. those who came
out of much tribulation. And it is really that path, is
it not? And John, when he was on the
Isle of Patmos, he was blessed with that view. When the Spirit
of God was upon him, and he tells us of the blessing and favour
of God which he enjoyed. And we're told, he said, and
I said unto the angel, so thou knowest, he said to me, these
are they which came out of great tribulation and have washed their
robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb. David
needed this view. You and I need this view, this
confidence that this is true and that we have come out, we
will come out of great tribulation and we are washed our robes in
the blood of the Lamb. It's wrought out, this work,
by the blessed Saviour Himself. This is the only way, my friends,
now, as you and I travel through this world. Remember, we have
the testimony, evidence of David here, as it were, giving us an
insight into his spiritual life and his concerns, but he's looking
beyond that. He's looking to the eternal inheritance,
which is incorruptible and undefiled and it's which is reserved in
heaven that wonderful favor and blessing to the church of god
and you see we've come here this morning what do we come here
this morning for to hear the good news of the gospel we've
come here not to just pass the time i hope you haven't i hope
you've come here this morning to hear the good news of the
gospel And the good news of the gospel is here, as David tells
us, the great goodness of the Lord in preparing a place in
glory for those who he has redeemed with his precious blood. Wonderful
thought, isn't it, to think that when we would have finished our
life here, we then begin. that wonderful time in glory
where there is then no more sorrow, no more sighing. Therefore lay
before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his
temple. And he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among
them. Who's he that sitteth on the throne? The Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, they shall hunger no more,
neither shall thirst any more, Neither shall the sun light on
them, nor any heat, for the Lamb which is in the midst of the
throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains
of waters, and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes."
It's a scene of perfect bliss, perfect happiness, endless, endless
happiness, and that without any sin, without any worries, without
any trouble, without any sadness, Perfect happiness and that is
the prospect that is the lot of the children of God That is
that we should encourage us as it encouraged David as he was
able to say Oh, how great is I goodness he was looking beyond
you see the things of this life and He was looking to that wonderful
view that John had when he said, I saw a new heaven and a new
earth, the first heaven and the first earth were passed away
and there was no more sea and I, John, saw the holy city. New
Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a
bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out
of heaven saying, behold, The tabernacle of God is with men,
and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people,
and God himself shall be with them, and be their God, and God
shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be
no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there
be any more pain, for the former things are passed away." And
what was he commanded to write? For these words are true and
faithful. Well, we're blessed today with
the faithful word of God, the true word of God. And we have
in this book of Psalms, in this chapter here, the words of God
speaking to our hearts, to our souls, describing to us what
we should expect as a living child of God. To realize that
here we have written down for our encouragement, if you like,
a format of that which you and I should expect as we travel
through this world. And it's not something which
we should think, well, that's just David's life. No, it's a
typical picture of the living child of God. And it sets before
us the difficulties of life, the trust in the Lord Jesus Christ,
and the prospect which is before the Church of God. And this morning,
let us go home and remember what he says here. Oh, how great is
thy goodness. It's the goodness of God toward
his people. And remember, we don't deserve
it. It's unmerited favor. It's the grace of God. It's the
love of God. It's the mercy of God, which
comes to us in this way. So we're able to come and say,
yes, oh, how great is thy goodness. such an unworthy sinner. I don't
deserve any favour, I don't deserve any goodness, but it is true,
it is toward me. Oh how great is thy goodness,
which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee, which thou hast
wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men."
There is the evidence of it. The evidence of it recorded in
the Word of God. What a blessing it is that we have a complete
picture. You see, we're not missing anything.
The whole plan of salvation, the whole work of the work of
the Spirit of God is set before us in the detail which you and
I shall need in our lives as we pass through this world to
our heavenly home, to that place which is incorruptible and undefiled
and that fadeth not away. You know, Peter knew the prospect
of glory. Oh, may you and I, my friends,
be encouraged to know the prospect of glory and be able to say,
yes, for here I have no continuing city, but I seek one to come. Now may we be, each one of us
here today, seeking that eternal inheritance, that city, that
glorious city, where the Lord reigns forever, and have that
evidence in our heart that we are amongst those who are travelling
home to God, in the way the fathers trod. They are happy now, and
we, soon, their happiness shall see. Amen.