Let us turn again to the psalm
that we were reading. I'm sure it's a psalm that's
not unfamiliar to you. Psalm 65. And I want to direct
you for a while tonight to verses 3 and 4. Psalm 65 verses 3 and
4. It's a psalm and song of David. And David says, Iniquities prevail
against me. As for our transgressions, thou
shalt purge them away. Blessed is the man whom thou
choosest and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell
in thy courts. We shall be satisfied with the
goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple. And as we take up these words
for a while this evening, I want to address the subject of the
blessings of a Trinitarian salvation. I believe that's what we see
in these two verses, the blessings of a Trinitarian salvation. It was a great Scottish preacher
and theologian, Rabbi Duncan as he was called, who would often
say that salvation is built upon distinctions in the Trinity,
and we certainly see that in these two verses. We see the three persons of the
Godhead, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. And I want you to think of that
salvation that is altogether Trinitarian from three perspectives. First of all, to consider it
as it were in the light of eternity and then secondly to look at
it historically accomplished in this world and then thirdly
to look at it in the experience of the people of God as it's
made a blessed reality in the souls of God's children. Those
three views then of the great salvation, the blessings of a
Trinitarian salvation. First of all, as it were, from
Eternity. The people who are chosen of
God and they are chosen before ever time was. The beginning
of verse 4, of course, we have that statement, Blessed is the
man whom thou choosest. This is the foundation, this
is the fountain of all the blessings of God and this choice God's
election we know is an eternal election. The Apostle makes that so plain
in the opening chapter of the epistle to the Ephesians There
in Ephesians 1 verse 3, Blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings
in heavenly places. According as He chose us in Him
before the foundation of the world, before ever there was
any creation from all eternity. It was all according to the eternal
purpose which God had purposed in Himself. It was nothing at
all in the creature. Again, the same apostle, Paul,
writing there in the ninth chapter of the epistle to the Romans,
another remarkable chapter, setting forth the doctrine of God's predestination
and God's election. And what does Paul say in Romans
9, 11? The children being not yet born. The children being not yet born. And then God makes the choice,
before ever they have any being at all, before there is any creation.
It is an eternal creation. And also, as, sorry, eternal
election, I should say. It's an eternal election. Not
only eternal, but here in the psalm we see quite clearly that
it is also personal. It says, blessed is the man whom
thou choosest. God takes account of individuals. When the Lord Jesus speaks to
his disciples, remember he sent them out and they come back and
they're full of rejoicing. because the spirits are subject
to them they've been able not only to witness but also to perform
remarkable works and the Lord says rejoice because your names
are written in heaven and not to rejoice in the works that
they've been enabled to do but to rejoice in the fact that their
names are in heaven that they are those who are personally
chosen by God and of course that's emphasized again in the book
of the Revelation. They're written in the Lamb's
Book of Life, it says, from before the foundation of the world. This choice, it is eternal, it
is personal, and it is also free, and absolute. It's not anything
at all in the creature that causes God to make choice of that particular
individual. He says, I will have mercy on
whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will
have compassion. So it is not of him that willeth
nor of him that runneth but of God. that show us mercy. These are very basic truths and
with regards to that doctrine, the doctrine of election, we
see at least these three aspects to it. It is eternal, before
ever time was created. It is personal. God sets his
love upon one individual and God passes over another individual.
And it is also a choice that is absolute and free. The cause of it is found not
at all in the object, but in Him who is God. Election by the Father, viewing
it from eternity. But then, that salvation is something
that must be accomplished here upon the earth, accomplished
in time. it's part of history and it's interesting isn't it
that here it's in verse 3 that we read of the purging away of
sin iniquities prevail against me says David as for our transgressions
thou shalt purge them away those that God chooses God also cleanses
But it's interesting, I think, that the cleansing, the purging,
is spoken of before the reference here in verse 4 to the fact that
God's choice is an eternal choice. From all eternity God purposed
the salvation of sinners. And all the events that take
place in time are under his sovereign hand, although he is not the
author of sin. But we reminded you, sir, how that it is... in the work of salvation that
we have the fullest possible revelation of God. He reveals
himself in creation. Yes, he reveals himself in providence. We see something of his majesty
in creation. We see his faithfulness in providence. But how God reveals himself more
gloriously in that great work of salvation accomplished by
the Lord Jesus Christ. As God elects sinners, So God
also elects one to be the Saviour of sinners. Behold, my servant
whom I uphold, he says, mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth. I have put my spirit upon him. Or the anointed one is the elect.
And of course, all the elect are chosen in him. We sang it
just now, of course, in our opening praise, that lovely hymn. of
Isaac Watts, number 73. He speaks of the choice that
God has made, centering in the person of Christ. He is God's
first elect. Having predestinated us unto
the adoption of children, Paul says, according to that eternal
purpose in the Lord Jesus Christ. in whom we have redemption through
His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches
of His grace. Oh, He is that One who is appointed
to be the Saviour, the Saviour of sinners, according as He has
chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world. And so, when the fullness of
the time comes, God sends forth His Son, made of a woman, made
under the law to redeem them that were under the law. It is that that God has accomplished
in time. The purging away of transgressions,
the pardoning of iniquities. It's all in that precious blood
of the Lord Jesus Christ that was shed at Calvary. How much
more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit
offered himself without spots to God, purge your consciences
from dead works to serve the living God? Iniquities prevail against me,
as for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away. As the choice is eternal in the
purpose of God so it is accomplished in the fullness of the time here
upon the earth in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ and his
obedience unto death even the death of the cross and then thirdly
we come to the experience the experimental aspects and how
is that evidenced? well we see two things here It
is evidence when sinners are called and it is again evidence
when they enjoy communion and fellowship with God. Just to consider those two things
for a little while. They're caused to approach. Blessed is a man who may choose,
as it says, and causes to approach on children. All they have to be made are
willing people. They have to be caused to approach.
Remember when Paul writes to the church of Thessalonica, he
reminds them the manner in which the gospel came to them. There
was of course the preaching in the sense in the preaching there
is that general call. But they experienced something
more than just the hearing of that gospel with the outward
ear. They experienced something in
their souls. There was an effectual work in
their hearts. Our gospel came not unto you
in word only, he says, but in power, and in the Holy Ghost,
and in much assurance. And then again in the second
chapter of 1st Thessalonians he says when you received the
word of God which you heard of us you received it not as the
word of men but as it is in truth the word of God which effectually
worketh also in them that believe. Oh it's an effectual word, they're
caused. They're caused to come, they're
caused to approach. It's the ministry of the Holy
Spirit. If it's the Father who is there
in eternity making choice of a people and choosing them in
his Son, if it's the Son who comes in the fullness of the
time and accomplishes the salvation, is it not the Holy Spirit who
applies it, brings it into the soul experience of those who
are the elect of God? Paul says, no man can say that
Jesus Christ is Lord but by the Holy Ghost all that blessed work
of the Spirit the agents by whom God does that work in the sinner's
soul remember the words of the Lord Jesus in the course of his
whole ministry no man can come to me he says except the Father
which sent me draw him as it is written in the prophets they
shall be all taught of God every man therefore that hath heard
and have learned of the Father cometh unto me and what is the
purpose of God? it is that the Spirit come and
make that people a willing people the Spirit comes as that one
who is the Spirit of Christ and so Christ has that promise thy
people shall be willing in the day of thy power by all authority
belongs to him And he is that one, of course, who sheds abroad
the Holy Ghost there upon the day of Pentecost. Having received
of the Father that promise of the Spirit, Peter says, he has
shed forth this which ye now see and hear. And the consequence,
as sinners are pierced to the very depths of their souls, brought
under conviction. He comes to reprove the world,
to convince the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. And so Christ can say, O that
the Father giveth me, shall come to me, and he that cometh to
me I shall in no wise cast out. We see then here quite clearly
how that the The salvation is Trinitarian. All true Christians
this may boast, a truth from nature never learned that Father,
Son and Holy Ghost to save our souls are all concerned. How important it is that we recognize
that that is salvation. It's the work of the Triune God. It's through Him, through Christ
that we have access by one spirit unto the Father the language
of Paul in Ephesians 2.18 and so the experimental aspect we
see it initially in the calling, the effectual call but also there
is the matter of fellowship with God, communion with God their cause to approach that
It says that He may dwell in thy courts. We shall be satisfied
with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple. Oh God brings His people into
fellowship with Himself. Truly our fellowship is with
the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord. But he brings
them into the situation where they have fellowship one with
the other, he sets the solitary in families. And so we are not to forsake
the assembling of ourselves together, we gather together. And we gather
together for corporate worship, we gather together for social
prayer, we pray for one another. And what do we see here with
regards to this this communion with God. Three things. There
is approach and there is access. Blessed is the man whom thou
choosest, says David, and causes to approach unto them. Or there
is entrance into God's presence. He hears prayers. Look at verse
2. O thou that hearest prayer, unto
thee shall all flesh come." We do not address our prayers
to Him in vain. No, we can rest assured that
we will be heard when we come and invoke the name of the Lord
Jesus Christ. There is one God and one mediator
between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, through Him. we have boldness and access with
confidence by the faith of Him. There is access here, there's
that entrance into God's very presence. We believe that we
do indeed have the very ear of God, He hears us. O thou that
hearest prayer. But there's not only the blessing
of access, there's also the assurance of acceptance. he accepts us when we come we can dwell before
him that he may dwell in my courts it says is that what we desire that we
might really come where God is we long for it that we might
be in his earthly courts Look at what David says back in Psalm
27, one thing have I desired of the Lord that will I seek
after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days
of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in
his temple or do we long and yearn after that place where
we can indeed meet with him and find acceptance in the beloved
and dwell before him and show forth his praises. He says here
in the opening words of the psalm, Praise waiteth for thee, O God,
in Zion, and unto thee shall the vow be performed. Lord, David says, I swear, Lord,
all my desire is before thee, and my groaning is not hid from
thee. We want to come, we want to unburden
our soul, and cast all our cares upon Him, and know that we will
find acceptance." But not only acceptance, here we also see that our prayers are to be answered. As it says in the 5th verse,
"...by terrible things in righteousness will thou answer us, O God of
our salvation." If we really have an interest in this salvation,
this Trinitarian salvation, we can rest assured that God will
answer us when we cry, when we call. What a promise it is that
He gives us back in Isaiah 65, 24. He says, before they call,
I will answer. While they are yet speaking,
I will hear. The answer is assured. And how he answers us, in a sense,
by terrible things, in righteousness. When a man approaches to God,
he immediately feels something of that dreadful answer. Because
the more he has communion with God, the more he feels himself
to need the purging of his conscience from every dead work, the more
he feels of his sins. He even at times feels himself
to be a far off even as he draws near. There at the end of that fifth
verse it says, By terrible things in righteousness that thou answer
us, O God of our salvation, who art the confidence of all the
ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea. And sometimes we come and in
our souls we feel as if we're afar off. even as we draw near
that strange paradox of the life of faith and the life of prayer
how terrible are God's ways, we see it don't we so many times
in the experience of the saints of God when Isaiah is so favoured
there in that sixth chapter of his prophecy when he sees God's
throne, that throne that's never vacated immediately He's aware
of what he is. Woe is me, I am a man of unclean
lips. I dwell in the midst of a people
of unclean lips, and mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord
of hosts. And one of the cherubims comes
with a living coal from the brazen altar and touches his lips. Oh,
there's the purging. Our lips have to be purged when
we come before our God in prayers. Because we feel what we are then.
We feel that we can only come as poor needy sinners. We see
it, I say, again in the experience of Daniel as he tells us here
in the 10th chapter of his book. When he sees that vision of the
Lord God, all his comeliness is turned to corruption. All
our righteousnesses, our filthy racks before this God. and John of course there in the
revelation when he sees the glorified Christ I fell at his feet he
says he's dead the sight is killing he's dead and the Lord comes
and puts his right hand upon him and says fear not oh fear
not John I am he that liveth and was dead and behold I'm alive
forevermore amen and have the keys of hell and
of death. What a sight it is. And yet,
it's by these terrible things in righteousness that the Lord
God answers us. What do we do? We look to Christ. In Him we know dwelleth all the
fullness of the Godhead bodily. Ought to be in Him. in whom we have boldness and
access with confidence by the faith of Him. Back in Deuteronomy
33 and verse 29, Moses says happily, or blessed, Blessed art thou, O Israel, who
is like unto thee, O people, saved by the Lord. Oh, are we that true Israel of
God, that spiritual Israel of God, who are saved by the Lord
and saved by this God who is the triune God, the electing
love of the Father, that great saving work of the Lord Jesus
Christ. And that blessed ministry of
the Holy Spirit making these things such a reality in our
souls, iniquities, prevail against me. Oh how David feels it. As for our transgressions, he
says, thou shalt purge them away. Blessed is the man whom thou
choosest and causest to approach unto thee. that He may dwell
in thy courts, we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house,
even of thy holy temple. May the Lord be pleased to bless
the text to us and to come away from God's Word with that assurance
in our hearts, but He will answer us, even by terrible things in
righteousness. He will answer us because He
is the God of our salvation. May the Lord be pleased to bless
his word. We'll sing our second praise
in the hymn 679 and the tune done firmly in 131. Come, Thou Almighty Comforter,
and bring upon Thy wing sweet consolation to each soul that
we may pray and sing. We want to feel, we want to see,
we want to know Thee more. We want sweet foretaste of Thy
love as we have had before. The hymn 679, the tune 131.