May God bless us tonight as we
consider his word together. Let's turn to the book of Psalms,
Psalm 37, and we'll read the 23rd verse. The book of Psalms,
Psalm 37, and reading verse 23. The steps of a good man are ordered
by the Lord, and he delighted in his way. We are aware that this psalm
was written by David, because it tells us so at the beginning.
And as we know that it's written by David, it's interesting to
know that David wrote this not when he was young, but indeed
when he was an old man. He tells us in verse 25, I have
been young and now am old. And why is that significant?
Well it's significant because he had had a long life and that
long life had proved to him the truth of God's word. And so he
goes on to say, yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken,
nor his seed begging bread. He is ever merciful and lendeth
and his seed is blessed. Well that's the statement by
God's servant David. as he was able, under the influence
of the Spirit of God, to write a psalm like this. And therefore,
as we read these words tonight, we can be sure that David had
watched and he'd observed the truth of these words, not only
in his own life, which was so very, very clear, but also he'd
seen how the Lord had led his people. And the truth of this
word then was known to him. It wasn't anything fictitious. It was true. It had been proved. The evidence was to be seen.
And so he comes and he says, the steps of a good man are ordered
by the Lord and he delighted in his way. And that means, what
it says, every step is ordered by the Lord. And the word is
put in here. It's good I know it's a word
which is put in, but all the same it's true. And the inference
is very clear that those people who are the Lord's, the Lord
watches over. We're told, like Jacob was, he
was kept as the apple of his eye. The Lord watched over Jacob
and we know that Jacob didn't do everything right. We know
that Jacob made mistakes in his life and yet the Lord watched
over him. The Lord was gracious to him
and his steps were indeed ordered. And if we think of Jacob's life,
we see how the Lord was indeed with him and watched over him
and preserved him and blessed him greatly. And so may we understand
tonight the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord May we
be able to look into our hearts to see whether we are a good
person. That's an interesting statement,
isn't it? To see whether we are a good person. Well, if you and
I look into our hearts ourselves, we will find, in actual fact,
that we're not a good person. In actual fact, we'll find we're
the very opposite. We'll find that we're a very bad person. We haven't done right things. We haven't done good things,
we've done many evil things, many wicked things. And it may
not always be evident, we may not have robbed a bank or anything
like that, but we may have had many, many evil thoughts. And
my friends, God looks into our heart and he sees your thoughts
and my thoughts and therefore, if we were asked honestly, if
we were a good person in and of ourselves, If we are truthful,
we would have to say, in actual fact, I'm not a good person. That's naturally. But the Word
of God here is directing us clearly to those who are good in the
sight of God. And they're good in the sight
of God because the Lord has been gracious to them. Because the
Lord has come and touched their heart. Because the Lord has spoken
to them. The Lord has encouraged them. The Lord has brought them out
of darkness into light. The Lord has given them spiritual
life. Now, this is not of themselves. And therefore the result will
be to such they would have to confess just as the Apostle Paul
did when he said, by the grace of God, I am what I am. He didn't claim anything for
himself. It was God's favour towards him. God's utterly wonderful,
unmerited favour that the Apostle Paul was blessed with. And he
wasn't unique. Every true child of God is blessed
like this. And therefore, by the Spirit
of God, they are able to confirm that they are not good in themselves,
but they are good because of what God has done for them. made
them good. He's made them righteous. He's
blessed them. He's been round about them. He's
watched over them. The blessing is this. God watches
over his people from the very moment they were born, right
up to the day of their death. And every step is ordained by
Almighty God. It's ordered by God. They don't
take a wrong step. Sometimes we may appear to take
wrong steps. The Lord may allow us to do and appear to take wrong
steps, to teach us, to instruct us and to bless us, but it is
all part of God's divine purpose. And so we can believe these words
that David tells us as coming from God himself, the steps of
a good man are ordered by the Lord. May that be an encouragement
to us in our lives to think that yes, every step is ordered by
the Lord. Now, we may not always see the
clearness of that. In actual fact, sometimes we
may find that we walk in an opposite direction. And Solomon, when
he wrote the Proverbs, He wrote some very true words,
I'm sure you know, but in the 16th chapter we can read this. He says, A man's heart deviseth
his way, but the Lord directeth his steps. And that's a very
powerful statement. A man's heart. What do we know
about the heart? We're told the heart is deceitful.
above all things and desperately wicked. What does that mean?
That means we can't trust our heart. We can't trust it. And therefore, as our heart may
devise our way, we can't believe it to be right. We may want it
to be right, we may think it's going to be right, but it might
not be right. And so here we have a very clear
statement here, and Solomon was a man blessed with wonderful
wisdom and able to declare such truths as this. A man's heart
devised it his way and we have, haven't we? All of us, I'm sure,
have planned out our life, we've devised our way and so many times,
perhaps, we've had to prove that our way hasn't been the Lord's
way. We've devised it. God hasn't devised it. We have. And that we found and we've Had
to live and prove that it wasn't God's way, but the blessing is
this. But, some wonderful buts in the
word of God, here is one. But, notwithstanding our evil
heart, the Lord directs our steps. The Lord directs our steps. Sometimes in those steps we almost
have to go around in a circle. And yet you see to know that
the Lord is directing us. The Lord is being gracious to
us, that indeed this is true. Our steps are ordered by the
Lord. It's very, very important. And yet in this same chapter,
again it's a very solemn statement, in the 25th verse, there is a
way that seemeth right unto a man. Again, it only seems right. It's
not right. It just seems right. It seems
right to our natural understanding. My friends, our natural understanding
is very devoid of true judgement so often. What does it say? There is a way that seemeth right
unto a man. What's the result? But the end
thereof are the ways of death. But I'm sure we don't want to
find ourselves in a situation like that, do we? And that is
repeated. In a couple of chapters further
on, the truth of these words here, the Spirit of God has seen
fit to repeat this statement so that we are not left to fall
into a snare. A snare of temptation. There
are many snares that Satan lays for our feet. Because it's not
an easy journey that we travel. And every step is watched by
the devil. And he wants to create a wrong
path that he can. He wants to produce a way that
leads us to that place of death. Spiritual death. He doesn't want
us to be found in a situation which is a place of blessing.
He doesn't want us to be found in a situation like this where
the Lord is directing our steps. And so how important it is that
we understand the great enmity the devil has to a child of God. And he knows very well that this
word is true. The steps of a good man are ordered
by the Lord. So he will do everything that
he can to separate us from such a statement as that. Well, the steps of a good man. So if
we have the evidence that we are amongst those who are good
and again we shouldn't go and think, well I really am not sure
about this. We need to look carefully into
our heart to see if there's a grain of faith, let's put it that way,
a grain of faith to believe the truth of God's word. And if God
has granted us that, it's because he has given it to us. And we
know that A grain of faith is sufficient to move mountains. So, my friends, may we be blessed
with the evidence in our hearts, even tonight, that we are, in
the sight of God, a good man. Again, not because of what we
have done, but because of what God has done. In God giving us
that grain of faith, to believe in his word. And if God has given
us that grain of faith to believe in his word, it must be because
he has an eternal love toward us. And if he has an eternal love
toward us, then isn't it so sure that we stand before God as a
good man, not in our own selves, let's be clear about that, but
in the sight of God, because the Lord has been gracious. The
Lord has come and the Lord has made us alive and the Lord has
taken away all our sins. He's washed us clean in the Redeemer's
blood. This is a wonderful and glorious
consideration. Well, how important it is then
that we're blessed in this way. Just thinking about, in a broad
way, these steps. Sometimes the Lord stops us. He stopped the Apostle Paul in
his ministry. The Lord stopped him. He was
anticipating going to a certain place, going to, I think it was
Bithynia. The Lord stops him and we read
these words. Now, when they had gone throughout
Phrygia, and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden for the Holy
Ghost to preach the Word in Asia, after they had come to Mycenae,
they were saved to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit suffered them
not. Their idea, their intention was
to go into Bithynia and that's where they intended to go. But
the Lord had a different view, a different plan for them. And
the plan was that they should be found in Macedonia, that they
should be found at Philippi. And what a place that was, a
place of blessing. But what a difficult place it
was for the Apostle to be found there. How much opposition there
was. But you see, the Lord was with
Paul and as it turned out Silas went with him. And we may remember
the blessing that occurred. The Lord directed the Apostle
Paul. He wasn't allowed to go in the
way that he thought was the right way. No doubt he had good intentions,
no doubt he felt that Bithynia needed the gospel to be preached
to them, but it wasn't God's direction. It wasn't God's plan. God's plan was that the Apostle
should go into Macedonia and go to Philippi. And it was God's
plan that the Apostle and Silas should suffer greatly, but also
that their time should be greatly blessed. So it's good if we realise
that our steps are ordered by the Lord. It may not be an easy
path. We're always looking really for
an easy path, aren't we? By nature, we look and we think,
well that might be pleasant. Perhaps the Apostle thought Bithynia
would have been a good place to go to. No, Paul, you've got
to go to Macedonia. Now, two things occurred in Macedonia. Two times a blessing. First of
all, we read about Lydia being blessed. Lydia was blessed in
a simple way. Her heart was opened to receive
the words that the Apostle spoke. What a blessing that was. And
how good it would be if our lives were directed in this way, so
that the Lord uses us, perhaps, to speak to one here and to one
there, so that their heart might be opened. And then, of course,
he went and he stood and he preached the Gospel. He was apprehended,
he was taken, he and Silas, they were questioned and for no good
reason, they were beaten and put in prison. And it's lovely
to read the outcome. I always marvel at the grace
of God in their lives. We read at midnight, they sung
praises unto God and the prisoners heard them. wasn't anything done
in secret. The Lord God so wonderfully blessed
them. There they were with stripes upon their back, no doubt very
painful, suffering for that which they did not deserve. But they
counted it a favour to suffer for the Lord's sake. Yes, my
friends, life is not easy for a true Christian. And it's a
most blessed thing to be able to note and realise the Lord
is directing our steps. The Lord is guiding us and ordering
our steps so that His name is honoured and glorified. It clearly
was. In that prison house we know
the Lord came at night and there was a great earthquake. All the
foundations of the prison were shaken. The doors were open and
everyone's bands were loose. Well, the keeper of the prison,
awakening out of his sleep and seeing the prison doors open,
he drew out his sword and would have killed himself, supposing
the prisoners had been fed, but Paul cried with an out voice,
Do thyself no harm, for we are all here. And he called for a
light and sprang in and came trembling, and fell down before
Paul and Silas and brought them out and said, Sirs, what must
I do to be so? What a change, what a wonderful
outcome. in that man's life, not only
his life as we read on, because he and all his household came
forth and were baptised because they spoke the word to all that
were in his house. And he took them, same hour of
the night, washed their stripes and was baptised, he in all his
straight way. And when he had brought them
into his house, he said, meet before them and rejoice. believing
in God with all his house. So we see how the Apostle's steps
were indeed graciously and blessedly ordered by the Lord. He wasn't
allowed to go into Bithynia. The Lord directed him to go to
that place for wonderful blessing. The steps of a good man are ordered
by the Lord. We may not be called for that
situation, but nonetheless it will be a blessing if in our
lives The Lord perhaps stops us in a certain course. The Lord
brings things to pass to stop us in a certain course. Sometimes
they're very small things. Sometimes they're very large
things. But what a favour it is to know
that God is with us. That's the important thing, isn't
it? If God before us, who can be against us? The great thing
is to know that God is with us. Because if God is with us, we
can believe this word will be fulfilled in our lives, that
our steps are ordered by the Lord. We have so many indications
and very clear pictures and truths in the word of God of those who
were indeed directed all their steps, ordered by God. We only
have to think of David's own life. David had many difficulties
to face. There were times when he was
pursued by the enemy, the times when he had to attack the enemy,
and he came to his God and he asked the Lord, shall I pursue? Sometimes the Lord said, pursue.
Sometimes he was told not to pursue. His steps were ordered
by the Lord and not always did things work out as well as he
anticipated. Sometimes there was opposition,
although the Lord had directed him, and there was opposition,
but nonetheless, to have the confidence and the understanding
that he was doing that which God was instructing him in. His steps were indeed ordered
by the Lord. We remember that time of course
when he wanted to bring up the Ark and he thought it was the
right thing to do and so it was. But you see, his steps at that
time were not right. And we know that the ark, instead
of being carried by the Levites, it was put on a new cart. And
Uzzah put forth his hand to steady it when the oxen stumbled and
the Lord slew him because of that offence. And David realised
he'd done wrong. He'd done wrong. And after some
time, Then you see he revised the situation and again he desired
the answer to be brought up and this time it was carried by the
Levites in accordance with the word of God. His steps were ordered
by the Lord and so we need to be careful sometimes we may do
that which is wrong. We may think we are doing that
which is right. Maybe he thought he was doing that which is right.
But you know he's forgotten. What has he forgotten? He's forgotten
the word of the Lord. The Lord has spoken. The Lord
had given direction. And he's forgotten that which
God has said. Blessed be the Lord brought back
the truth of his word. into his heart, so that he was
able to rectify that solemn mistake and do that which is right in
accordance with the Word of God. We need to be very careful in
our lives that we are directed in the right way and that we
don't walk contrary to the way of our God. We remember Joseph. Joseph's steps were indeed ordered
by the Lord. Again, not an easy path, a very
opposite path. for that man of God. And we know
that when he was in prison, well, the chains, they hurt him. He must have had many thoughts. We know the Word of God tried
him. He had a promise years and years ago. Where was it now? It looked as though it was all
broken up. No truth in it. The years were
passing by. He was still in prison. The butler
had forgotten him. Amazing truth it was. But this
truth was so true in Joseph's life. The steps of a good man
are ordered by the Lord. The Lord had a time to deliver Joseph. My friends, the
Lord has times today to deliver His people. A set time to favour
Zion, a time to come, a time to bless. To the appointed time
rolled on apace in that time of Joseph and at the right time
his steps had been ordered and he would look back in his life
without any doubt and concur yes, as for God his way is perfect. It wasn't a smooth path, it was
a rocky road. But it was the right way and
God was with him. God didn't forsake him. Well,
we could of course go on. There are many cases, aren't
there, as we think of Job and others in the Word of God who
were blessed and yet didn't appear. The Lord was perhaps always directing
their steps. But he was. The steps of good
man are ordered by the Lord. Now, what do we want our steps
to do? We want our steps to bring us
nearer and to bring us to the Lord Jesus Christ. We need to wire up our spiritual
life. The way we walk or the way we
take cannot be wrong if Jesus be but there. The question is, do we see Jesus? Is Jesus revealed to our faith? Is Jesus made precious to us? Is He a living reality? Can we therefore say the steps
of a good man are ordered by the Lord because God has brought
me closer to himself? That God has shown me more of
myself. God has shown me more of himself. This is the steps being ordered
by the Lord. My friends, we should be very
clear about this. The Lord directs us in the right way. And there is a right way to bring
us closer to the Saviour. And that means not to walk in
our own way, but to be blessed with that willing spirit to hear
what God the Lord will speak to us. The Lord will direct us.
The Lord will not leave us to our own understanding, how foolish
we often are with regards to our own understanding. The Apostle
Peter, he knew about his own understanding. And he tells us in the second
chapter of his first epistle, for what glory is it when ye
be buffeted for your faults? Well we do make mistakes and
sometimes We're buffeted for them. We deserve it. You should
take it patiently. But if, when you do well and
suffer for it, you take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. These are the steps which God
directs us in. For even here unto were ye called. This is the position that you
and I, if we're amongst those who come under this category
of being good men, we are called to walk this way. For even here
unto were ye called, because Christ also suffered for us,
leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps, so that
our footsteps, so that the blessing that we may possess, our steps,
might indeed be those steps which follow the steps of the Lord
Jesus Christ. Now that's really a test, isn't
it? Whether the Lord is directing
us in His way, and He's ordering our way, our steps of a good
man are ordered in this way, that we might be found following
His steps. Now if we follow His steps, The
word tells us here, who did no sin, neither was guile found
in his mouth, who when he was reviled, reviled not again. When he suffered, he threatened
not, but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously. I believe if our steps are ordered
by the Lord, our concern will be that we commit ourselves wholeheartedly
into the hands of our God. And we come like this, nevertheless
not my will but thine be done. And that clearly is a following
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let me repeat that, nevertheless
not my will but thine be done. The steps of a good man are ordered
by the Lord. To walk in accordance with His
will and to follow Him, a despised and crucified man. But my friends,
what glory there is in viewing by faith the suffering Saviour. To have that wonderful view of
Him taking every one of our sins all our sins, the many, many
sins we've made, the many mistakes we've made in our life. Nevertheless,
not my will, but Thine be done to view the Saviour willingly
doing His Father's will, His Father's will. What a blessing
if you and I are given that grace to come and bow down before our
God, So that our steps may indeed be ordered by the Lord and we
may have the evidence of it. Because what is it doing? It's
bringing us nearer to Christ. It's not bringing us farther
away from Christ. It's bringing us nearer to Christ. And what a blessing that is.
The apostle goes on for, ye were a sheep going astray, left to
ourselves, that's just what we are, we go astray, but are now
returned. unto the shepherd and bishop
of your souls." It's a wonderful thing to be returned, returned
to our God with that true concern, that true desire to be found
in this way then. The steps of a good man are ordered
by the Lord. Now sometimes when our steps
are ordered by the Lord, we may have to stand still. Remember
the occasion in Jehoshaphat's day. when he was in a great strain,
he prayed to the Lord and he said this, neither know we what
to do, but our eyes are upon thee. He was an honest man. Sometimes
that can be very true. We don't know what to do, but
our eyes are upon the Lord. That was that prophet that was
raised up. And he told them what they must do. And he told them
they wouldn't have any need to fight in the battle. They would
stand still and see the deliverance and see the appearing of Almighty
God. Sometimes in our path, sometimes
in this way, our steps We just have to stop for a moment. We
may want to rush on. We may have to stand still. The Lord will then appear. And
He appeared, you see, in a wonderful way for Israel. They didn't need
to fight in that battle. They were so fearful, Joshua
was so fearful. The Lord appeared in a wonderful way. He came and
the enemy was conquered. My friends, all the enemies are
in God's hand. No one can do that which is not
in accordance with his divine will. The steps of a good man
are indeed ordered by the Lord. And in this path sometimes we'll
find that the Lord graciously comes and enlarges us in the
things of God. He enlarges our steps which is
very often strange to our situation. Again, the psalm is said in Psalm
18, he tells us, Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation,
and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath
made me great. Thou hast enlarged my steps under
me, that my feet did not slip." You see, it's very easy sometimes
for our feet to slip. Asaph was envious of the foolish,
envious when he saw the prosperity of the wicked, and we may perhaps
sometimes be envious. But you see the blessing will
be if the Lord comes and enlarges our steps. under us. So they were able to make those
steps. Perhaps we never thought we would
be able to. He, it is, enlarges our steps. Sometimes then we have a standing
still, sometimes a stepping forward and sometimes there's an enlargement
of our steps. but it's all in accordance with
the divine will and the purpose of Almighty God. Remember, it
is all for his honour and glory. He says, just pressing on, and he delighteth in his way. The Lord delights in his work.
My friends, his work is directing our steps. His work is to guide
us and to be with us and therefore he delights in his way. That's very humbling isn't it,
to think the Lord looks upon us and as he sees our steps in
that way that he has ordained and again going back and thinking
principally the most important thing is that every step draws
us nearer to Christ. That's really, isn't it, the
touchstone, isn't it, in our path. That's really what it is,
isn't it? Is it bringing us nearer to Christ? Are the steps that we're taking
bringing us nearer to Christ? That's really the important issue,
isn't it? Are we being blessed with union
with Him? Do we view the Saviour suffering
for us on Calvary's tree. Do we see there all our hope
of salvation? You know, this is the right way. This is the steps being ordered
by the Lord and He delighted in His way. And as the Lord sees
us, my friends, viewing His only beloved Son. Oh, what a glorious
position that is. What does it do? It brings honour
and glory to our God. And I'll tell you what it does
also. It brings peace to your heart. Peace to your heart, because
you know that it's God that is indeed ordering your steps. The steps of a good man are ordered
by the Lord, not by man. Not by man, by the Lord. My friends, men make mistakes,
men make wrong guidance. The Lord never does. As for God, His way is perfect.
What a wonderful word that is. How encouraging for a poor soul
to know that. And then, just very quickly,
24th verse, Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down,
for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. The mercy of the Lord. We do fall, we do make mistakes,
we are foolish, we are ignorant, and yet we have The encouragement
like this, as David is able to say, from his own experience,
that though he fall, we make mistakes, he shall not be utterly
cast down, for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. Well, may
we know what it is, for the Lord to uphold us. He hasn't cast
us off. He hasn't left us to ourselves.
If we were left to ourselves, my friends, we would wander away.
We would wander away from Christ. But oh, bless God, He holds us
up. He upholds us with His hand to
round about us. Think of those words, underneath
our everlasting arms to support us in our every hour and time
of need. And so may we bless God tonight
for the truth of these words, the steps of a good man are ordered
by the Lord and He delighteth in His way. And let us remember
this. the great proof of walking in
this way, to find and to know that they are bringing us and
directing us nearer to the suffering Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.