Let us turn again to the Word
of God and to Psalm 102. Psalm 102, a prayer of the afflicted
when he is overwhelmed and poureth out his complaint before the
Lord. I trust with the Lord's help
and I hope with his blessing this morning I would preach from
the whole of this psalm, but for a specific text I take the
title. The title of Psalm 102, a prayer
of the afflicted when he is overwhelmed and poureth out his complaint
before the Lord. And I would remind you that all
the titles of the psalms are part of the inspired Word of
God. of the 150 Psalms, 116 have titles,
so there are just 34 Psalms without titles. So the majority of the
Psalms, about 77% in fact, have titles. And it's interesting
to note that the Continental Bibles, such as the French and
the Dutch Bibles, they include the titles in the main body of
the Psalms. And so the Dutch, the French
Bibles, other continental Bibles have an extra verse. They have one more verse than
our Psalms. Because they have the title as
verse 1 in their Bibles. And that is the case with this
particular Psalm, Psalm 102. And so the titles are very much
a part of the Word of God. They are as much a part of the
Word of God as the body of the psalm. They are as much a part
of the Word of God as the conclusion of Psalm 72. If you look at Psalm
72, the conclusion of that verse, of that psalm, the last verse,
is not really a part of the body of that psalm. Psalm 72 verse
20, the prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended. The titles are as much a part
of the Word of God as that verse is, and they are as much part
of the Word of God as Habakkuk chapter 3 and verse 1. There we read a prayer of Habakkuk,
the Prophet upon Shihonoth, similar to some of the titles that we
have in the Psalms, but that's a part of the Word of God. and we see that the titles are
indeed a part of the word of God from the title of Psalm 18 to the chief musician a psalm
of David the servant of the Lord who spake unto the Lord the words
of this song in the day that the Lord delivered him from the
hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul and he said
and then there is the main body of the psalm now that title of
Psalm 18 is a repetition of the opening of 2 Samuel chapter 22,
which is, of course, the Word of God. And so, the titles of
the Psalms are clearly a part of the inspired revelation. The
text which I bring before you this morning, then, is no less
inspired. Indeed, it is every bit as inspired
as the main body of the Psalm. Now I emphasize this because
there are some who think that these titles are not inspired. They are inspired. every bit
as inspired as the main body of the psalm, a prayer of the
afflicted when he is overwhelmed and poureth out his complaint
before the Lord. Well may the Lord then grant
his blessings, we consider this portion of his holy and infallible
word. We see from the title of this
psalm that it is a prayer, this psalm is a prayer, a prayer of
the afflicted when he is overwhelmed and poureth out his complaint
before the Lord. We note that it's not a short
prayer, it's fairly long. It's a prayer of one who is greatly
afflicted. And doesn't this immediately
teach us that if our afflictions are great, then our prayers should
be great. Great afflictions should beget
great prayers. Is any among you afflicted? Let
him pray, says James. And this the psalmist does, doesn't
he, in his affliction, when he's overwhelmed. He poureth out his
complaint before the Lord. And this the elect have done
in all ages. We can think of Hannah, there
in 1 Samuel chapter 1, Verse 10, And she was in bitterness
of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore. And she
vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed
look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and
not forget thine handmaid. She said to Eli, who thought
that she was drunk, Count not thine handmaid for a daughter
of Belial, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have
I spoken hitherto." The word complaint both there in 1 Samuel
1 verse 16 and here in the title of the psalm is elsewhere translated
as babbling babbling in Proverbs 23 for example Proverbs 23 verse
29 Who hath woe? Who hath sorrow? Who hath contentions? Who hath
babbling? It's the same word, complaint. Who hath wounds without cause?
Who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine,
they that go to seek mixed wine. Or there is the babbling of the
drunkard. And we have a similar sense in
Psalm 55. Psalm 55, give ear to my prayer,
O God, and hide not thyself from my supplication. Attend unto
me and hear me. I mourn in my complaint. I mourn
in my babbling and make a noise. These are barely audible prayers,
more akin to babbling, mumbling, groaning. This prayer then that we have
here in Psalm 102 is the pouring out of words with groanings from
the heart of one who is greatly afflicted. For out of the abundance
of the heart his mouth speaketh. And so it is often the case with
the Lord's people when they are prompted to pray in their affliction
by the Spirit of the living God. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth
our infirmities, for we know not what we should pray for as
we ought, but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with
groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts
knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession
for the saints according to the will of God. Job was a man greatly afflicted,
wasn't he? And we find that word complaint
several times in his book. For example, in Joe 23. Joe 23, the second verse, even
today is my complaint bitter. My stroke is heavier than my
groaning. There he is groaning, babbling,
he's babbling, he's groaning in his complaint. Complaint is
the groaning of anguished prayer. It's the groaning in prayer of
one who is greatly afflicted. A prayer of the afflicted when
he is overwhelmed and poureth out his complaint, his babbling
before the Lord. Well our subject then this morning
is the complainer and his complaint and by way of conclusion we shall
see I trust a comfortable answer given to the complainer and his
complaint. But firstly let us consider the
complainer. Who is he? Who is this complainer? Well his identity is not explicitly
revealed is it? Either in the title of the psalm
or in the psalm itself. The title gives us no indication
of who the author is, nor of the occasion on which the psalm
was written. And not surprisingly, there are many and various views
as to its authorship. And some have suggested that
it was written by David upon the occasion of Absalom's rebellion. Some have suggested that it may
have been written by Daniel, or Nehemiah, or some other prophet
at the time of the captivity. Some have suggested that the
writer is speaking of himself and his own afflictions. Some
say that he's speaking on behalf of the church in her afflictions. What we can say for definite,
unhesitatingly, is that this psalm is given by the inspiration
of the Spirit of God for the use of the church in all ages,
in all her afflictions. and any of the Lord's tried and
tempted people can make use of this psalm when he or when she
is overwhelmed in or by affliction the Lord's people are afflicted
people in this world I'm sure you don't really need me to point
that out I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted
and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the Lord. Zephaniah 3 verse 12. What afflictions
were endured by the people of God in Egypt, but the more they
afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew, we read
in Exodus. in Deuteronomy, and the Egyptians
evilly treated us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage. And when we cried unto the Lord
God of our fathers, the Lord heard our voice, and looked on
our affliction, and our labour, and our oppression. And the Lord
brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with
an outstretched arm, and so on. David sang of the people of God
in his great psalm of praise recorded in the second book of
Samuel. And the afflicted people thou wilt save. The Lord's people are an afflicted
people and they are often called the afflicted people throughout
the scriptures. Again in Psalm 129. Many a time have they afflicted
me from my youth, may Israel now say. Many a time have they
afflicted me from my youth, yet they have not prevailed against
me. And many are the promises of
God to that afflicted people. For instance, in Isaiah 49 verse
13, Sing, O heavens, and be joyful,
O earth, and break forth into singing, O mountains, for the
Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his
afflicted. Again in Isaiah chapter 54 verse
11. O thou afflicted, tossed with
tempest and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair
colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. Of course the afflictions of
the Lord's people are not confined to the saints of the Old Testament,
no. Our Lord Jesus Christ has forewarned
us of these last days. In Matthew 24, then shall they
deliver you up to be afflicted and shall kill you and you shall
be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And church history,
even to the very present hour, attests to the truth of that
prophecy. Yea, and all that will live godly
in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. The Lord's people
are an afflicted people. We are afflicted with a body
of sin. We are afflicted with a burden
of sin. And that body of sin, that burden
of sin, causes the child of God to groan. But ourselves also,
which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves
groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the
redemption of our body. Oh, it is out of a felt sense
of that corruption of our fallen nature that we complain. O wretched
man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
We are afflicted with the temptations of the enemy of our souls, the
evil one. We are afflicted by the world
with its scorn and reproach and persecution and mocking from
men of the world which have their portion in this life. And then there is the rod of
God's chastening which the Lord lays upon us sometimes for our
eternal good. Or do we not sometimes feel that
we are overwhelmed with these afflictions? Many are the afflictions
of the righteous, says the psalmist, many are the afflictions of the
righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. As we approach this psalm, I
think we must inquire as the Ethiopian eunuch inquired when
he read from the prophet Isaiah, I pray thee, of whom speaketh
the man this? Of himself or of some other man? Was the psalmist in this psalm
speaking of himself or as the mouthpiece of the church? Or
was he speaking of some other man? Now, I have to say that
most Reformed commentators seem to take the view that this psalm
was a prayer on behalf of the church in her affliction, probably
written at the time of the captivity in Babylon. Matthew Henry, however,
hints that the prophet may have been speaking of some other man. He says in his commentary that,
and I quote, the psalm has reference to the days of the Messiah. and
speaks of his affliction, or of the afflictions of his church,
for his sake. John Owen says that the psalm,
and again I quote, is partly euchtical, partly prophetical,
by which he means partly supplicatory. The psalmist praying for himself,
or the church, and partly prophetical, relating to Christ. And it is
in this messianic sense that I'll consider the psalm with
you this morning. And I would consider this psalm
in its messianic sense for these seven reasons, briefly. Firstly,
we are to look for Christ in all the scriptures. They are
they which testify of me, Jesus said, speaking of the scriptures.
he reminded his disciples when he appeared to them after he
had risen from the dead he said these are the words which I spake
unto you while I was yet with you that all things must be fulfilled
which were written in the law of Moses and in the prophets
and in the Psalms concerning me and surely that which was
written in this psalm concerns Christ Secondly, the apostle
in his epistle to the Hebrews quotes verses 25 to 27 of this
psalm and he applies them to Christ. We read that portion
there in Hebrews chapter 1. See from verse 12. That's from
verse 10. And thou, Lord, in the beginning
hast laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the
works of thine hands. They shall perish, but thou remainest,
and they all shall wax old as doth a garment. And as a vesture
shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed, but thou
art the same, and thy years shall not fail. Now, Paul is there
quoting from verses 25 to 27 of this psalm and he is applying
them to the Lord Jesus Christ. Of old hast thou laid the foundation
of the earth and the heavens are the work of thy hands. they
shall perish but thou shalt endure yea all of them shall wax old
like a garment as a vesture shalt thou change them and they shall
be changed but thou art the same and thy years shall have no end
and then thirdly look at the title a prayer of the afflicted
when he is overwhelmed when he is overwhelmed now there is a
reference to zion or to the gospel church in this psalm but that
is spoken of in the female gender thou shalt arise and have mercy
upon Zion for the time to favour her yea the set time is come
for thy servants take pleasure in her stones and favour the
dust thereof the church is referred to as her but the title speaks
of he and his of prayer of the afflicted when he is overwhelmed
and poureth out his complaint before the Lord. And then fourthly,
the Lord Jesus Christ is described in many other scriptures as afflicted,
such as Isaiah 53, from which Philip preached unto the Ethiopian
eunuch Jesus. He was oppressed and he was afflicted. Psalm 22, the crucifixion psalm
which speaks so much of Christ's sufferings the Lord Jesus is
described in that psalm as the afflicted for he hath not despised
nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted and we see in the
fifth place other aspects of gospel truth in this psalm we
see the redemption of God's people verse 13 Thou shalt arise and
have mercy upon Zion for the set time to favour her, yea,
the set time is come. Verse 19 For he had looked down
from the height of his sanctuary, from heaven did the Lord behold
the earth, to hear the groaning of the prisoner, to loose those
that are appointed to death. Here is redemption and then we
see the calling of the Gentiles. Verse 15, so the heathen shall
fear the name of the Lord and all the kings of the earth, thy
glory. And verse 21, to declare the
name of the Lord in Zion and his praise in Jerusalem when
the people are gathered together and the kingdoms to serve the
Lord. And we read of the new creation
too, verse 18. This shall be written for the
generation to come and the people which shall be created shall
praise the Lord. The people which shall be created.
The gospel church and every particular member of it is the Lord's new creation. for
we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus and again the
apostle says therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new
creature this is the new creation and the people which shall be
created shall praise the Lord and we read in this psalm of
the end of his presence evil world of old hast thou laid the
foundation of the earth and the heavens are the work of thy hands
they shall perish but thou shalt endure yea all of them shall
wax old like a garment and as a vesture shalt thou change them
and they shall be changed here is the end of this present world
and in this psalm we see the doctrine of the final perseverance
of the saints The children of thy servants shall continue,
and their seed shall be established before thee. The perseverance
of the saints. And sixthly, did not our Lord
Jesus Christ pour out his complaint before the Lord, who in the days
of his flesh when he had offered up prayers and supplications
with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save
him from death, and was heard in that he feared. Or see him
there in the garden of Gethsemane, and he was withdrawn from them,
that is, from his disciples, about a stone's cast, and kneeled
down and prayed, saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this
cup from me. nevertheless not my will but
thine be done and there appeared an angel unto him from heaven
strengthening him and being in an agony he prayed more earnestly
and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling
down to the ground all the cup that he was to drink was mingled
with tears and so we read in verse nine of this psalm, for
I have eaten ashes like bread and mingled my drink with weeping. And could it be, now I know that
this is conjecture, but could it be that the angel strengthened the Lord Jesus with
words such as we find in verse 13 of this psalm? Thou shalt
arise and have mercy upon Zion for the time to favour her, yea,
the set time is come. The set time to favour Zion was
that time appointed by the Father, when His beloved, His only begotten
Son should bear all her sins in His own body on the tree. And then, having secured the
everlasting salvation of his dear elect people, he was to
arise the third day from the dead. Thou shalt arise and have
mercy upon Zion, for the time to favour her, yea, the set time,
is come. The hour was come when he should
offer up his life for ransom for many. even for his dear people. And surely the seventh reason
for considering this psalm in a messianic sense is because
it is good to see Jesus going before us in the way. In all
our reflections, we are to look to Him. If we would know strengthening
grace and persevering grace, then we must look to Jesus. Hebrews chapter 12 verse 2, you
know the passage, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher
of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured
the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right
hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured
such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied
and faint in your mind. we are to look to Jesus if we are to persevere through
all afflictions and all that comes to us in this present evil
world and Christ is set forth in this psalm for the encouragement
of all those who are in him for all those who are an afflicted
and poor people for all those who are trusting in the name
of the Lord I trust we shall see more of
Christ in this psalm as we consider his complaint. We've considered
the complainer. Let us now proceed to consider
his complaint. The subject of the complainer's complaint
is bodily affliction and death. As we see From verse three, for
my days are consumed like smoke and my bones are burned as an
hearth. My heart is smitten and withered
like grass so that I forget to eat my bread. By reason of the
voice of my groaning, my bones cleave to my skin. My bones cleave
to my skin, says the psalmist. And so in the crucifixion psalm,
Christ says, I may tell all my bones, that is, I may count all
my bones. Why? Because they're sticking
out. My bones cleave to my skin. These verses, verses three to
five of this psalm speak of Christ's sufferings. Likewise, verse 11,
my days are like a shadow that declineth and I'm withered like
grass. Verse 23, He weakened my strength
in the way, He shortened my days. He shortened my days. In the
margin that reads, He afflicted my strength in the way, He afflicted
my strength in the way, not He weakened my strength, He afflicted
my strength in the way, He shortened my days. Or this is the affliction
which Christ has suffered, He shortened my days. And so it
was prophesied by Daniel, And after three score and two weeks
shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself. In verse 10,
we have, I believe, the very heart of the psalm. Because of
thine indignation and thy wrath, for thou hast lifted me up and
cast me down. Taking this psalm to speak of
Christ, do we not see here the purpose of his dying? because
of thine indignation and thy wrath. And do we not see here
the manner of his dying? For thou hast lifted me up and
cast me down. See here the purpose of Christ's
dying because of thine indignation and thy wrath. Here is the astonishing
truth of the Gospel. It is unto the Jews a stumbling
block and unto the Greeks foolishness. The world cannot receive this
doctrine. Islam cannot receive this doctrine. They do not believe, they cannot
believe that the Holy Prophet Jesus was crucified. They don't
believe he was crucified. The liberal and some of our modern
evangelicals cannot receive this doctrine. They blasphemously
speak of it as slaughterhouse religion. and cosmic child abuse, that's
how Steve Chuck referred to it a supposed evangelical, a Baptist
for the preaching of the cross, that is the preaching of the
doctrine of the atonement is to them that perish foolishness
but unto us which are saved it is the power of God the Lord Jesus Christ suffered
death because of thine indignation and thy wrath. The indignation
and wrath of a holy God against sin was poured out upon Christ,
the sinless one. Isaiah declared these things,
didn't he? Surely He hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows,
yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions,
he was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace
was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep
have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way. And
the Lord had laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed
and he was afflicted. These things are again declared
in this very psalm. Verse 18. This shall be written
for the generation to come and the people which shall be created
shall praise the Lord for he had looked down from the height
of his sanctuary from heaven did the Lord behold the earth
to hear the groaning of the prisoner to loose those that are appointed
to death. Here is a gospel for the sinner.
for the sensible sinner, the groaning prisoner. The Lord Jesus
Christ, by His death and by His resurrection, has loosed those
that were appointed to death. Yes, death is the just sentence
of the law, the soul that sinneth it shall die. And the sensible
sinner, the groaning prisoner, feels it. That sentence hangs over his
head like the sword of Damocles and he trembles with a sense
of impending doom. Have you ever been brought to
that? To think of your end, how it will end for you? Where you
will spend eternity? Ah, but the Lord Jesus Christ
has loosed those that were appointed to death. How? By dying in their
room and in their stead, by taking their place and enduring the
indignation and wrath of God as their divinely appointed substitute. Oh, this gospel, this good news
is for the groaning prisoner! It's for the groaning prisoner!
the margin there in verse 20 reads to hear the groaning of
the prisoner to loose the children of death to loose the children
of death and that's what we are by nature we are the children
of death Paul writing to the church at
Ephesus reminds the gentile believers there that they were by nature
the children of wrath even as others But God, who is rich in
mercy for his great love, wherewith he loved us. Now see verse 19
here in this psalm. For he had looked down from the
height of his sanctuary, from heaven did the Lord behold the
earth, to hear the groaning of the prisoner for the great love
wherewith he loved us. Even when we were dead in sins,
hath quickened us together with Christ. or the groaning prisoner
appointed to death was loosed when God raised up his son having
loosed the pains of death because it was not possible that he should
be holding of it here then is the purpose of Christ's
being afflicted because of thine indignation and thy wrath. Secondly, we see here under this
heading, here in verse 10, the manner of Christ's death. For
thou hast lifted me up and cast me down. now has lifted me up
and cast me down the Lord Jesus Christ was lifted up upon the
cross hung between two thieves and hung between heaven and earth and then he was cast down into
the depths of the earth into the dust of death as it says
in Psalm 22 yes he was cast down into the very grave It is what
is meant in the Apostles' Creed when it says, He descended into
hell. He descended into the grave.
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must
the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have eternal life. Jesus said, And I, if I
be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This
he said signifying what death he should die. And this psalm
is signifying what death Jesus should die. For thou hast lifted
me up. And in this psalm we see the
drawing of all the elect, even elect Gentiles, following the
lifting up of the Lord's Christ. For thou hast lifted me up and
cast me down. And then if you read on to verse
15, so the heathen shall fear the name of the Lord and all
the kings of the earth thy glory. Now isn't that the same as Christ
declared there in John's gospel? John 12, 32, and I, if I be lifted
up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. It's the same
as is written in the Crucifixion Psalm, in Psalm 22. We read,
All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn unto the Lord,
and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. Well,
so it is written here in Psalm 102, verse 15, so the heathen
shall fear the name of the Lord and all the kings of the earth
by glory. And this brings us to our conclusion
and to the comfortable answer given to the complainer and his
complaint. In Hebrews 5 verse 7 we read
concerning Christ who in the days of his flesh when he had
offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears
unto him that was able to save him from death and was heard
in that he feared In Psalm 22 we read, For he hath
not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted,
neither hath he hid his face from him. But when he cried unto
him, he heard. Now when did the father hear
the son? Or when was it shown that the
father had indeed heard him? Well surely it was when he raised
him from the dead. Isaiah says, when thou shalt
make his soul an offering for sin he shall see his seed he
shall prolong his days and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper
in his hand he shall see of the travail of his soul and shall
be satisfied oh he was heard and he was manifestly heard when
the father raised him from the dead he shall prolong his days
yes although he was cut off out of the land of the living having
been afflicted with the rod of divine justice for the transgressions
of his people yet he shall prolong his days he shall prolong his
days and we see it here in the words of our psalm he had prayed
verse 24 I said oh my God take me not away in the midst of my
days and it was heard he shall prolong
his days and so we read in again in verses 25 to 27 remember these
words Paul tells us in Hebrews they are speaking of Christ but
unto the Son he saith of old hast thou laid the foundation
of the earth and the heavens are the work of thy hands they
shall perish but thou shalt endure yea all of them shall wax old
like a garment and as a vesture shall thou change them and they
shall be changed but thou art the same and thy years shall
have no end. He lives in the power of an endless
life Psalm 21 verse 4, he asked life of thee and thou gavest
him even length of days forever and ever. Oh he is Jesus Christ
the same yesterday and today and forever. And so we read here,
but thou art the same and thy years shall have no end. Jesus lives and he lives in the
power of an endless life And this psalm is full of Christ,
it's full of Christ. Here is his birth, he's coming
into the world. Verse 16, when the Lord shall
build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory. Remember how John wrote in his gospel, and the word was
made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory. the
glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace
and truth. And this scripture here in Psalm
102 is speaking of His first appearance, His manifestation
in the flesh. When the Lord shall build up
Zion, He shall appear in His glory. There is His death as
we've seen. There is His resurrection too.
Thou shalt arise. and have mercy upon Zion we read
in verse 13 but thou art the same and thy years shall have
no end we read in verse 27 all Christ was heard Christ was heard
in that he feared and he is always heard he is always heard he could
say in prayer to the Father and I knew that thou hearest me always His prayers are always heard,
His intercession for His people is always heard, which is why
they can never perish. Wherefore He is able also to
save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing
He ever liveth to make intercession for them. And do we not see that
through Him All our prayers are answered. All our groanings for
deliverance. Who shall deliver me from the
body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ
our Lord. In verse 17 of this psalm we
read, He will regard the prayer of the destitute and not despise
their prayer. We shall receive gracious answers
to all our prayers. To us will be granted eternal
life through Him. This is the hope of the Gospel.
The children of thy servants shall continue and their seed
shall be established before thee. Christ and His people are one.
As long as he lives, they shall live also. Because I live, ye
shall live also, he says to his dear blood-bought people. The
children of thy servants shall continue and their seed shall
be established before thee. Now who are the servants? Who
are these servants? The servants of Christ. And who
are their children? Well, the servants of Christ
were his apostles. Remember how Paul opens his epistle
to the Romans. Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ,
called to be an apostle separated unto the gospel of God. Peter
says in his second epistle, Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle
of Jesus Christ. The servants of Christ were his
apostles and their children. Who are the children of these
servants of Christ? Well, they are those which should
believe on the Lord Jesus through their word and through their
writings, the inscripturated writings of the apostles. Remember
what Paul said to the Corinthians 1 Corinthians 4, verse 14, I
write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons,
I warn you, for though you have 10,000 instructors in Christ,
yet have ye not many fathers. For in Christ Jesus I have begotten
you through the gospel. On more than one occasion he
refers to Timothy as his son. Unto Timothy my son in the faith. If we are those who hold to the
Apostles doctrine then are we indeed their children and their
seed. The children of thy servants
shall continue and their seed shall be established before thee. or see what a comfortable answer
is given not only to Christ but also to all those who are in
Christ. He will regard the prayer of
the destitute and not despise their prayer. This shall be written
for the generation to come and the people which shall be created
shall praise the Lord. At the beginning of the psalm
in the title complaint is poured out before the Lord at the end
of the psalm the children of thy servants shall continue and
their seed shall be established before thee before thee those
who pour out their complaint before the Lord they are the
ones who shall be established before the Lord see the public pouring out his
complaint before the Lord and see his establishment before
the Lord. God be merciful to me, a sinner. There's his complaint. I tell you this man went down
to his house justified. There's his establishment. And whom he justified, them he
also glorified. May the Lord bless his word to
each of our souls. A prayer of the afflicted when
he is overwhelmed and poureth out his complaint before the
Lord. Amen.