Please God to bless us together
this evening as we consider his word. Let's turn to the 73rd
Psalm and we'll read verses 23 and 24. The book of Psalms number
73 and reading verses 23 and 24. Nevertheless I am continually
with thee thou hast holden me by my right
hand thou shalt guide me with thy counsel and afterward receive
me to glory. We read together a part of Psalm
37 and Psalm 73. Psalm 37 was written by David and 73 by Asaph. But both of
them have great similarities and the similarities prove to
us that they had their confidence in Almighty God and they also
confessed the frailty and the sinfulness of their nature and
yet were able to look beyond that to the blessings and the
reality of having the living gods to support and to sustain
them. And really what we observe is
quite simply this. In those accounts we have the
testimony of two godly men which show to us the conflict that
God's people battle with throughout their life. And that conflict
is between our flesh, our old nature, that we were born with,
and our new nature, that spiritual nature. And we never get rid
of our old nature. We're thankful it is often by
the Spirit of God tamed. But nonetheless, we do find there
is, as it were, that breaking out, even as we get old and we
confess the opposition and the evil that Satan endeavours to
bring into our lives, to influence us, to turn us away from the
things of God, to attract us to the poor, fading things of
this world. And we're thankful then to know
that we have a great God, a blessed Redeemer, one who has died to
atone for our sins, one who has gone before gone to prepare a
place for us in glory. And it's a wonderful and sure
evidence on the Spirit of God working within us, if we recognise
and realise and know the battle that exists within us. Well, this is very clear in Asaph's
life. The previous verses tell us,
Thus my heart was grieved and I was pricked in my reins. Reins
really means mind. So he tells us, thus my heart
was grieved and I was pricked in my reins. So foolish was I
and ignorant I was as a beast before thee. Well that's not
a very good statement for a godly person is it? You wouldn't naturally
expect someone who was a godly person to speak words like that. But here he is expressing the
effect that sin has within him. And he brings it forth in very
clear words, very powerful words really. He tells us he was foolish,
he tells us he was ignorant, he tells us he was as a beast
before thee. A beast of course has no spiritual
life. through the inference that this
man Asaph gives here. So we see then how he viewed
himself and how he realised his own nature came upon him and
brought him to this situation. Well, it's a confession, isn't
it? And the people of God and you
and I need to come into those times of confession. to confess
our sins. And here was Asaph here, telling
us and speaking of those things which have been revealed to him
and producing the effect that he had to say words like this. So foolish was I and ignorant
I was as a beast before thee. Well, let's just pause for a
moment and look into our own hearts Are we able to make a
confession like that, an expression like that, and to be honest about
it? That we've been foolish, and
we've been ignorant, and we've been as a beast before the Lord. Well, such words don't come easy,
do they? Not if we're honest. Because
these are not weasel words. They're words which come from
the heart, and it's good when they really come from the heart.
And therefore, we're in our right place. And what place is that?
We're very low in our own esteem, our own estimation. We don't
think now we're a great Christian. We don't think we're somebody
who can stand firm, we'll never be moved. We think of Peter's
case when he said, he would never be moved. Well, if you and I
are taught by the Spirit of God like this, we won't come. We
won't be found then thinking, I'm strong, I'm able to do whatever
I need to do, and it's really meaning we don't need the Lords
to sustain and help us. But here was an honest expression
before this man, this man gave to God. So foolish was I and
ignorant I was as a beast before thee. And then we see an amazing
change in his expressions from that very negative and difficult
situation to now a very positive statement, as we see the evident
work of the Spirit of God upon him, directing him to write in
this way of the belief that he had in his God. And it's a wonderful
statement which he makes, nevertheless I am continually with thee. What does that mean? He means
that his God was with him. And that is true. God is with
his people. We do fall. We do sin. We do make mistakes. We do look
at ourselves and say, well, how foolish I've been, how ignorant
I've been. I haven't really realised the implication of some of the
things that I've done and said. And we understand how Asaph felt,
at least in measure. But nonetheless then, Asaph was
blessed with this appreciation that he was with the Lord. The Lord was with him. The Lord
hadn't left him. He hadn't forsaken him, although
he was found in this situation. And sometimes the reason is to
teach us our inadequacy. to teach us the sinfulness of
our being, to make us realise we're not as good as we thought
we were, to bring us down a peg or two, perhaps bring us down
many pegs, perhaps bring us right down as the Apostle Paul was,
who had to say he was the least. He was the least. Now that's
wonderful grace. The Lord brings that into our
minds to show us that we can't boast of anything that we've
done or said Because there is that sin within us. And we feel
to be less than the least of all saints. Not the greatest
Christian. There are people about today
who think they're wonderful Christians and living a wonderful life.
Well we have to doubt whether there's any real grace within
their hearts. Whether they know anything of
the battle. The battle which is so clearly set before us in
the Word of God. Really from Genesis to Revelation.
You read the word of God and you'll find again and again the
battle is displayed before us to encourage us and to warn us
of the difficulty of life. It's not plain sailing. There's
a rough old sea out there and you and I have to venture to
sail that sea and to be brought at last into our desired haven. But rest assured it's not an
easy journey. Believe it's It's not one that we would willingly,
perhaps, enter into. But as we launch out into the
Christian life, the Lord, as it were, launches the boat upon
the sea. And then as we get farther out
from the shore, yes, the sea gets deeper and the waves get
higher. And the difficulties get worse. So we spend a lot of our life
in that place. When a boat goes out, just the
first little while is relatively calm. And it gets more choppy
and then sometimes very rough storms until they come almost
to the end of the journey and come into perhaps a calm harbour.
Generally speaking, the journey can be quite difficult. Obviously
it varies, sometimes journeys are calmer than others, but nonetheless,
it's only really the beginning and the ending which are relatively
calm. The rest is a fairly difficult journey. And so we should expect
that in our spiritual life, and yet to know that even in that
situation, God is with us. Asaph says, nevertheless I am
continually with thee. That means that God was with
him. And we might think, we mentioned Jonah this morning, but you might
think of Jonah. Jonah had a rough trip, didn't
he? He thought it was going to be
an easy one, but it wasn't. But the amazing thing was that
God was with Jonah. God was with Jonah. When he was
asleep, he was watching over him. He knew when he would be
woken up. He knew what would happen. He knew how he had to
be thrown overboard and how the whale would have to come and
swallow him up. And for those three days until he came to his
senses and prayed to the Lord. The Lord didn't forget him. He knew where Jonah was. And
he watched over Jonah. Jonah was with his God. He didn't
realise it perhaps at that time. Nevertheless, I am continually
with thee. If we think of that very carefully,
to realise the wonder of it, that we are with God, walking
continually with him, whether we understand it, whether we
know it or not, God does not leave his people. He does not
forsake them. He may allow them to be taught
lessons like indeed Peter was, but God was still with Peter, Nevertheless, I am continually
with thee. You see, this phrase like this,
nevertheless, it means that, hold on a minute, look at those
thoughts which I put before. Nevertheless. And we read together
in this psalm, in the 14th verse, for all the day long have I been
playing and chastened every morning. Plagued and chastened every morning. It wasn't an easy time, was it?
And if I say I will speak thus, behold I should offend against
the generation of thy children. When I thought to know this,
it was too painful for me. But then he was given some insight
into the true blessed place of the children of God. And where
was he to see that? in the sanctuary, in the Church
of God, until I went into the sanctuary of God. Then understood
I their end." And then, although our battle in our journey is
great, to realise, yes, well, if we didn't have that, if we
didn't have the evidence of the work of God in our heart, then
you see, there wouldn't be a good end. But bless God if God is
dealing with us. and teaching us that here we
have no continuing city, but we seek one to come. And so, he says, surely thou
didst set them in slippery places, and castest them down into destruction. How are they brought into desolation? As in a moment, they are utterly
consumed with terrors. As a dreamer when awake is so,
O Lord, when thou wakest thou shalt despise their image. Thus
my heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my reins." Well, we
have some little description there, don't we, of what Asaph
was passing through. And again, there may be in our
lives slippery places. And yet, nevertheless, I am continually
with thee. The Lord allows us to walk sometimes
in slippery places. The slippery places are often
referred to for youths, for young people. Slippery places. What does that mean? It means
there's many temptations. When we're young Christians,
there's many temptations. And they're slippery places.
And if they're slippery places, the strong possibility is that
we'll fall over, or that we'll slide backwards. Slippery places. And we need to be wonderfully
supported in those places. And the truth is that the devil
desires us to find those slippery places. What it means is that
he endeavours to bring us to those places, so we slip and
fall. And it means that we go into the things of the world.
We go backwards. Now then, our old nature is very
strong. Our old nature is very worldly. And our old nature can be tempted. But for the power of God, we
easily follow those things which attract our nature. You young
people realise that Satan's on the prowl after your soul. He's wanting to make you slip,
he's wanting to destroy you if he can. And don't expect him
to give up. Don't expect life to get easier. But what we need is what the
Apostle Peter describes when he said he was kept by the power
of God. He wasn't always kept, but he
knew the need of it. May you and I need of it. May
it be our daily prayer. I hope we all pray when we commence
our day. I wonder if we pray in that way. The Lord will keep us. We may
be kept from evil things. Kept from slipping in slippery
places. There will be slippery places
that you and I will have to pass over. We need the Lord to help
us over those difficult places. So don't forget every day to
pray to the Lord that you and I may be kept. And how are we
kept? By the power of God. It's not
because of our own strength, of our own ability. It's only
we're kept by the power of God. Now then, realise that as we're
passing through these slippery places, the Lord is still there. The Lord is mindful of us. Nevertheless,
I am continually with thee. What a blessing it is to know
that we are with the Lord and the Lord is with us. And sometimes
we may be brought into desolation. We may be lonely. We may be solitary. There are all those times in
the life of Christians when they have to walk a solitary path. They don't have anybody really
to speak to perhaps. Because they maybe think that
other people wouldn't understand what they're having to face and
endure. Perhaps they're too embarrassed to tell people of the temptations
and difficulties that they're passing through. Well, may we
be encouraged to know tonight that nevertheless I am continually
with thee. Yes, the great almighty Lord
God. Asaph was blessed with this favour
to know, nevertheless I am continually with thee, and may it be our
favour also to know the blessing of this. And he tells us, Thou
hast holden me, Thou hast held my right hand. We know, don't we, the position
with a parent and a little child. What do they do? Well, they hold
the child's hand, don't they? so that the child won't perhaps
come into a dangerous situation, run out into the road or do something
very silly, haven't got much sense of a little child. And we may think we've got a
lot of sense, we have to prove we haven't got much sense. And
we need guards to take us by our hand, our right hand, the
hand that really is that one that is the one of direction.
Well, Ahaz says, Thou hast holden me by my right hand. Yes, he wasn't left. God was with him. He was with
God. They were walking together. God
was holding his right hand. I wonder today whether we know
in our lives that blessed position of God with us and holding our
hand if we are his children. We will be in that position or
we will come into that position where we are little children.
We are not great grown up people, we are little children and we
need God to take us by hand and to lead us safely through many
temptations and especially slippery places. To think that the Lord,
the Lord doesn't slip. The Lord doesn't slip. He knows
the way. He knows the right way. He knows
the route. He knows the good ground. And
He leads His people in that way. And so to think that we have
this statement now is holding me by my right hand. Now this was the testimony of
Asaph. He approved the benefit of this
situation. And it's good for us tonight
if we can say yes, I believe the Lord did hold my hand and
help me through a difficult scene in my life. He didn't leave me
just to battle on by myself. He stood by my side. He took
hold of my hand. He led me and directed me and
brought me safely through. What a gracious God we have.
What a wonderful favour it is to think that you and I today
deal with the same God that David and Asaph had to deal with when
they were on the earth. And the Lord hasn't changed.
He's the same yesterday, and today, forever. He was with Asaph. He's with his people. He's always
been with his people, and he always will be with his people.
Is that not a strengthening thought, a wonderful consideration, as
we go forth again tomorrow, as we have to go and mix with the
world and the many temptations that Satan brings us into, to
realise the statement is here, true, Nevertheless, I am continually
with thee. Thou hast holden me by my right
hand." You know, the Lord's holding us by our right hand to help
us and to strengthen us and to bless us. If the Lord is holding us by
our right hand, what does it mean? It means that the Lord
is very close to us, doesn't it? If we're holding someone's
hand, we're very close to them, aren't we? We're not a long way
away, there's not a big gap between us. It's not as though we have
to look in the distance to see if we can see someone. No, the
person's right by us, if we're holding their hand. And to think
of that, the Lord is right by us. And I was holding me by my
right hand. To think that God holds us in
his by us, close by our side. Isn't that humbling? To think
that almighty God The one who created all things, the one who
rules the whole universe, nevertheless takes us individually by our
right hand. Condescends to be with us. Condescends to be gracious to
us. We don't deserve it, do we? Think
of what Asaph confessed. As we confess the same things,
we don't deserve the Lord's mercy. But the same with parents and
children. Children sometimes may be very
naughty, very irrational in their behaviour, and very anti to their
parents, but the parents still desire to be with them and to
take care of them, to hold them by their right hands, to bring
them on safely. So the analogy is true with regard
to the Church of God in a most wonderful way. Because children
and parents, well, perhaps that's on a little journey. The Lord never forsakes his people.
He never, no never, no never forsakes. What a blessing that
is. May that be a comfort to us to
realise, yes, the Lord is with us. Nevertheless, I am continually
with thee, that's holding me by my right hand. And then says
Asaph, and with some confidence thou shalt guide me with thy
counsel and afterward receive me to glory. He was able to make
a firm statement like this because he had the evidence that God
was with him and he was walking with his God And so he was able
to say, Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel. Now, that guidance
and that counsel I believe will be this, to direct us to the
Saviour, to our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. It will be
then a personal blessings. This counsel that Almighty God
gives to us is to direct us, when we recognise our sinful
condition, when we have to say, I'm foolish, I'm ignorant, I'm
like a beast, to be directed to the gracious Saviour and to
believe that he came into the world to save sinners of whom
I am chief," said the Apostle Paul. Yes, God sent his only
beloved Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but
have eternal life. Well, to think then, when the
Spirit of God convicts us of our sinful and foolish condition,
and then comes and counsels us to look to the Saviour, to consider
Him. It's a great condition of need,
isn't it? As the Spirit of God shows us
something of our true state, our great needs, and then to
counsel us. You know the written Isaiah,
the Scripture of the Lord, He is wonderful and He is counsellor. Yes, He counsels His people. I wonder, again, with regard
to our own personal lives. Has God come and counselled you? You know, we hear a lot, don't
we, about counselling today. This one and that one needs to
be counselled, and they are counselled by various people, psychiatrists
and that kind of situation. But to be counselled by God,
to think that God takes us on one side, as it were, and shows
us what we really are, and our great need of a saviour and then
shows us what he's done. That glorious work completed
on Calvary's cross counsels us to look to him. Yes, thou shalt guide me with
thy counsel. What good guidance it is. The
Lord guides in a right way. The Lord guides in a good way.
And we know that the Lord, when he guides, when he counsels,
it must be to direct us to the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, has
that counsel been given to you and me? Have our hearts been
directed to view the Lord Jesus Christ as our only hope of salvation? Yes, says Asaph, yes. Thou shalt
guide me. Thou shalt guide me and counsel
me. He was confident that his God
would do that for him. And he would be blessed for that.
And we need it today, my friends. You and I need the counsel of
our God to come alongside us and teach us and instruct us
and to correct us. You see, the Lord does need to
correct us in our spiritual life. You may say, well, I'm not sure
about that. Well, you know, there is such a thing as spiritual
pride. You know, we can be very, you know, very proud of what
God's done for us. And you can claim it for yourself
almost, as you're able to speak of such things and believe that
people are going to think well of me because of this great blessing
I've had. Now very often the Lord brings
us down in a low place before he grants a blessing so that
we give him all the honour and all the glory. And this is counsel
by Almighty God so that his name might be honoured and exalted
in our lives. The counsel of God is direct
us to the need we have to walk in that way which brings honour
and glory to God. This is good counsel, isn't it? The Lord shows to us, in an increasing
measure, the evil of our heart and the pride which dwells within. That is the work of the Spirit
of God, that is the counsel of God, as He comes to us and alongside
us and reveals to us greater depth of sin in our heart. And
we find that pride is mixed with so many things and we never knew
it was there before. And the Lord puts his finger
on this and puts his finger on that. And we come down and we
cry out, guilty. Guilty before our holy God. And
we view then the holiness of God and our guiltiness and sinfulness. It's God counselling us. And he says, Thou shalt guide
me with thy counsel. Yes, God guides us with his counsel. What a blessing it is. As we
perhaps counsel our children, as parents counsel their children,
that means they instruct them, they give them advice on what
to do and what to avoid, what to turn away from. Now the Lord
gives good counsel. Sometimes we don't like to heed
it. Sometimes we don't agree with it. Sometimes we rebel against
it. But nonetheless, the blessing
is that the Lord does give it. And he says, therefore thou shalt
guide me with thy counsel. And if the Lord does, my friend,
guide us, if we are amongst those who are blessed with this wonderful
favour of knowing, first of all, something of our ignorance and
foolishness and beastliness before our God, and the comfort of knowing
that we are walking with God, that God is with us, He hasn't
cast us off, He hasn't forsaken us, and He's counselling us,
and He's directing us. All these are wonderful, positive
evidences of the work of God in our hearts. And my friends,
we do need to know that God is with us, and that God is speaking
to us, and God is dealing with us. He's not leaving us to wander
on in our own devices. And sometimes the recollection
and realisation of God's dealing with us is painful because we
know that we're doing things that are wrong and we don't want
to be stopped and yet God is counselling us and He's coming
to us and speaking to us and reminding us we're going in the
wrong way. The wonder of it is that God doesn't leave us to
our own devices. Takes us in hand, he's teaching
us, and sometimes we're like, the Bible has a good description,
a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke. Well, we don't see that
much of course in our country today. We don't see bullocks
being used to draw plows as they were in the old days. But of
course in the old days, they used to get a bullock and they
used to have to break it in so the bullock would draw the plow
without wanting to get rid of the noose around it, as it were.
Yes, and we're like that really. Yes, we don't like to be restrained
by Almighty God. We want to please ourselves. Well, the Lord will have us to
do that which is right in his sight. Now, if we are instructed
and guided and directed in this way, we can then believe that
this truth will also be wonderfully true. And afterward, receive me to glory. This is the end of the journey.
This is that which is set before the Church of God. This is that
which encourages the Church of God to believe that this truth
is so wonderful and afterward receive me to glory. Now remember,
Isa says, Thou shalt. If we have the evidence the blessed
work of God in our heart, in these points that I've traced
out for you, then the truth is that we can believe these words
that the psalmist Esau says, Thou shalt receive me to glory. And that's a wonderful prospect,
isn't it? What a wonderful blessing for
the Church of God to look beyond the things of this life, the
things which perplex us perhaps, try us, cause us grief, cause
us sorrow, to know the wonderful blessing that the Lord shall
receive us to glory. You may remember the words of
the Lord Jesus, which he spoke in that 14th chapter to John,
in John's Gospel, and he tells us those very wonderful words,
let not your heart be troubled, And it may be. Well, remember
Asaph's case. Let not your heart be troubled. Ye believe in God. Asaph believed
in God. Believe also in me. Believe in
the Lord Jesus Christ. In my father's house are many
mansions. If it were not so, I would have
told you. I go to repair a place for you.
And if I go, and prepare a place for you. I will come again and
receive you unto myself that where I am, there ye may be also."
Our good sister Diana Gibb has spoken to me quite often about
those words which have been so blessed to her that the Lord
will receive her. Yes, these words and receive
you. What a blessing tonight if such
words are applied to our heart that we believe then the Lord
will come again and receive you. You see, the Saviour says, I
will come again. No doubt about the Lord coming.
He says, I will come again. And the certainty of the blessing
of the Lord to our souls and to the end of our life is really
set forth in the evidence and the testimony that Asaph is able
to bring before us in that 73rd Psalm and also very similarly
the 37th Psalm that David was able to write. And so this statement
is such, and receive you unto myself that where I am there
ye may be also. The truth is forever with the
Lord. What a consideration, is it not? As you and I travel through this
life, through this earth, They look forward to that day which
shall be forever with the Lord." Now, is that an attractive prospect
to you and me tonight? Or do you say, well, now hold
on a minute, I want to do a lot in this earth. I've got a lot
of things before me. I want to do this, I want to
do that, and well, I'm not really ready to leave this earth yet.
Well, it would be a good thing if the Spirit of God comes And
we know what it is, as the bride in the Song of Solomon said,
draw me, we will run after thee. To draw to the Lord Jesus Christ
and the wonderful blessing that he is, and to realise that eternal
blessing of being forever with the Lord, so far outshines anything,
anything this world can produce for us. the things of this world are
passing. And our life is just like a vapour which vanishes
away. Yes, it's just very transient. But to have our hope which is
built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. Well, tonight, may we be able
to thank God that there's a record like this of Asaph speaking to
our hearts. Nevertheless, I am continually
continually with thee thou hast hold of me by my right hand thou
shalt guide me with thy counsel and thou shalt afterward receive
me to glory amen