Let us turn again to God's Word
and turn into the Psalm that we read, Psalm 65. And I want
to direct your attention this morning to the words that we
find here in verses 3 and 4. Psalm 65. and verses 3 and 4. 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. Martin Luther,
the great Protestant reformer, said that doctrine is heaven. I'm sure many of you will recall
the Ministry of the Light's pastor here, Mr. Metronola, and his
ministry was very much a faithful doctrinal ministry. Unashamedly
did he seek to declare the great truths of the Gospel. And this morning as we turn to
these words that we've read for our text, verses 3 and 4 of Psalm
65, I want to take up the subject of the blessings of the doctrines
of Sovereign Grace. the blessings of Sovereign Christ. And what do we see as we come
to consider such truths? Do we not hear of what is really
a revelation of God in all the fullness of His triune being? Remember the words of the hymn
writer Joseph Hart, that lovely hymn that we have on the doctrine
of the Trinity, and he says, All true Christians, this may
boast the truth from nature never learnt that Father, Son and Holy
Ghost to save our souls are all concerned. And as we come then
to these words, I trust that we will see that Trinitarian
salvation set before us in what David writes, Iniquities prevail
against me, As for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away. Blessed
is the man whom thou choosest, and cause us 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
the first doctrine that I want to direct you to is that of election. And election, of course, is the
peculiar prerogative of God the Father. In fact, it is really
the foundation and the fount of all the blessings that come
from God. And we see it here, do we not,
in the opening part of this fourth verse. Blessed is the man whom
thou choosest. That is a plain statement with
regards to God's sovereignty in the matter of election. Blessed is the man whom thou
chooses. Now with regards to that doctrine
we observe in scripture that first of all election is that
that is eternal and we have it of course in that great opening
chapter of the epistle to the Ephesians that we read from and
there in verse 3 Paul writes, Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as he hath
chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy and without blame before him in love. The choice then
is before the foundation of the world. Before God had created
space or time, from all eternity God made choice of his people. That is a truth then that is
plainly said before us time and again, certainly in the writings
of the Apostle Paul. Again there In chapter 3 of Ephesians,
in verse 11, he says, according to the eternal purpose, which
he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord. The election is that that
is from eternity. Again, the same apostle, writing
in the ninth chapter of the epistle to the Romans, speaks of that
truth, the children being not yet born, neither having done
any good or evil, according that the purpose of God might stand. He says, Jacob have I loved,
and theseaw have I hated. The election then is eternal. It is before ever time was. And then also we see concerning
this doctrine that election is personal. And we have it of course
in the language of the text before us. Blessed is the man whom thou
choosest. And we see that it is the singular,
it's an individual. we're not to think in terms of
God making choice in a general sense, choice of nations. And so, some seek to explain
a wide personal election there in Romans chapter 9. They say
that the reference to Jacob is simply a reference to the nation
that were descended from Jacob who became Israel. that it's
the nation of Israel who were favored in a peculiar manner
so different to the other nations. But that's a misinterpretation
of the Word of God. It's a denial, of course, of
personal election, that God has made choice of individuals, and
those individuals have their names recorded in heaven. When
the Lord Jesus sends forth his disciples in the gospel and they
minister and they are able to perform many miracles, remember,
as they return to him and they speak of these things, how the
devils were subject unto them and so forth. But what does the
Lord say? They are not to rejoice in these
things, he says, rather rejoice because your names are written
in heaven. It could not be more personal
than that. Your names are written in heaven, written in the book
of life of the Lamb, from the foundation of the world, we're
told in Revelation 13 and verse 8. So, as election is eternal,
we observe also that this election is personal. God is pleased to
make choice from eternity of individuals. It's a remarkable
truth, is it not, that the Lord knoweth them that are his, and
he has ever known them, always known them. And then we see furthermore
with regards to this truth, that it is absolute. It's absolute. The cause is found only in God
and in God alone. There is nothing in the creature
that causes him to make choice of that particular individual. What do we see in the context
here? David confesses in verse 3, Iniquities prevail against
me and yet, this man who is so very conscious of his sin. And
as he says in Psalm 51, that sin is ever before him. Yet this
is the very man that God was pleased to make choice of. There
was nothing in David, nothing at all in David. David was a
great sinner and yet the Lord God was pleased to make choice
of such a man. Or we find the cause only in
him. What does he say? Paul writing
again in that ninth chapter of Romans, I will have mercy on
whom I will have mercy, I will have compassion on whom I will
have compassion. It is not of him that willeth,
nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. Clearly the Apostle is emphasizing
that truth, that the choice is an absolute choice. Nothing at
all in the creature causes God to set his eternal love upon
that particular individual. Before the children were born,
before they had done any good or evil, all the choice is God's,
and it is God's choice alone. And as I say, election is clearly
the peculiar prerogative of God the Father. But then, We are
considering these great doctrines. What do we see also here? We
see that there is cleansing. And that cleansing, of course,
comes by the great work that was accomplished here upon the
earth by God the Son. In the end of verse 3, David,
having acknowledged his sin, says, As for our transgressions,
thou shalt purge them. Why? All those that God has chosen
are the very ones that God also cleanses. As God has elected
sinners, so He has also elected one to be the saviour of sinners. This is how God has made choice.
He has made the choice in and through the Lord Jesus Christ.
We know that as the son he is equal to the father. He can say,
I and my father are one. He is pleased whilst here upon
the earth to receive the worship of men. And how offensive that
was to the Jews. He is God. And yet, of course,
when we consider God the Son in terms of the eternal covenant,
that covenant that was made between the persons in the Godhead, there
we see the Son willingly undertaking the work of redemption. And he
becomes, therefore, God's servant. He willingly submits to that
office of Saviour. And doesn't God speak of Him
there in Isaiah 42? Behold My servant, Behold My
servant, whom I uphold, Mine elect, in whom My soul delighted,
I have put My Spirit upon Him. He is that One who is the Anointed,
the Messiah, the Christ. But He comes to serve God, He
comes not to do His own will, He comes to do the will of Him
who has sent Him and to finish His work throughout His life.
He is subject to the Father and the will of the Father. He is
clearly, therefore, the Father's first elect. Mine elect, He says,
in whom my soul delighteth. And when God makes choice of
His people we see that he chooses them all in Christ. Remember the language that's
taken up in Hebrews chapter 2, where Paul again is speaking
of Christ and his willingness to come into this world and to
take upon him the very nature of his people. He doesn't take
upon Him the nature of angels. He takes upon Him the seed of
Abram. For as much as the children are partakers of flesh and blood,
He partakes of the same. He becomes a real man, a man
that is sinless. There's nothing of sin in Him.
In His very conception, He is preserved from every taint of
original sin. He's conceived by the Holy Ghost
in the womb of a sinful woman. the Virgin Mary, and that holy
thing that shall be born of thee, says the angel, shall be called
the Son of God. But he's a real man. He's a real
man, touched with the feeling of our infirmities. Tempted in
all points like us we are, yet without sin. And there in Hebrews
chapter 2, the Apostle Paul takes the words of the Prophet Isaiah,
and applies them to Christ, Behold I and the children which God
hath given them. As if the Lord Jesus is speaking
such words, Behold I and the children which God hath given
them, those who were given to Him in the eternal covenant. When He was chosen and appointed
to be the Savior, there were those who were chosen in Him,
and we saw it. There did we not, in that chapter
that we read in Ephesians chapter 1, according as he hath chosen
us in him, in Christ, before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy and without blame before him in love, having
predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ,
to himself according to the good pleasure of his will. Or the eternal Son of God is
the one who is God's first elect and all the election of Christ
is chosen in him and he comes therefore to redeem in whom we
have redemption through his blood. the forgiveness of sins according
to the riches of his grace. That's why Paul continues there
in that opening chapter of Ephesians. Redemption through his love. This is why he came, is it not?
He comes not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to
give his life at ransom for many. This is the great aim and object
of His coming into the world, that He might make that one sacrifice
for sins forever. He will live His life as the
surety of His people. In their place He will submit
to the Holy Lord of God and He'll obey it and fulfill it. He's
made of a woman, He's made under the law, and so His life is a
sinless, righteous life. live before God and yet then
that righteous man dies as a substitute in the room instead of his people. This is the great truth, is it
not, of redemption, cleansing of sinners. What David speaks
of here as purging Thou shalt purge them away, all the sins
of his people. How are these sins purged? How
are they removed? Because Christ himself has come
and borne the penalty in the place of his people, the blood
of Jesus Christ. God's Son cleanseth us from all
sin. Oh, what does John say here in
his love? Not that we love God, but that he loved us and sent
his Son. to be the propitiation for our
sins and all that that great word propitiation indicates. It's a theological term and it
speaks to us, it reminds us of the wrath of God and that God
is angry with the wicked every day. He can by no means clear
the guilt. Why? He's a holy God and a righteous
God and the Lord Jesus Christ is that one who submits to bear
in his own person all that wrath of God in the room and stead
of his people. It is redemption by blood, it
is purging by blood. Peter, again Peter when he writes
there in the opening chapter of his first epistle, speaks
of many precious things. and amongst them he speaks of
the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. He reminds those
that he's writing to, those who were scattered in very many places,
strangers, he says, scattered throughout Pontius, Galatia,
Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia. He reminds these believers of
what it was that brought their redemption, for as much as you
know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver
and gold from your vain conversation received by tradition from your
fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb
without blemish and without spot who verily was foreordained before
the foundation of the world, but was manifested in these last
times for you. This is the great work then that
God the Son has performed here upon the earth and accomplished. It was not the Father, nor was
it the Holy Spirit, who were incarnate here upon the earth. No, it was Him who is the Eternal
Son of the Eternal Father. And so that blood was shed. And
is it not spoken of in Acts 20 as the blood of God? Strange words, really. The reference,
of course, is to the God-man. When Paul is addressing those
Ephesian elders, he speaks of the Church of God which he has
purchased with his own blood. That is the blood of Jesus Christ,
God's Son. How much more shall the blood
of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unto God,
purge your consciences? from dead works, we read in Hebrews. Here is the work of the Son,
the work of the Father. He is the one who makes choice.
It is the Father that we see working in election. It is the
Son that we see as the one who comes to purge sinners, to cleanse
them from sins, to justify the sinner. the work of the Father,
the work of the Son, and also here in these verses we see the
work of God the Holy Spirit. Look at the language again at
the beginning of this fourth verse. Blessed is the man whom
thou choosest and causest to approach unto them. How does
God cause a man to approach? The reference here surely is
to that efficacious grace of God. that effectual call of God,
the Holy Spirit. All the persons in the Godhead,
you see. The Lord Jesus Christ, when he
comes to the end of his ministry, tells the disciples quite plainly
that he must go away in order that the Spirit might come. It's
not that the Spirit was not there previous to Christ's incarnation,
We certainly see the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament. All those
who were true believers, that spiritual Israel. They were not
all Israel that were of Israel, but they were those in the nation
of Israel who were the true spiritual children of God. And all those,
of course, were born of the Spirit. David knew that gracious ministry
of the Holy Spirit himself, did you know? In Psalm 51, where
he is making his confession, that great penitential Psalm,
after the folly of his sin with Bathsheba, he'd been guilty of
adultery, but worse than that, in order to cover his adultery,
he had eventually stooped so low as to murder a man. He was
guilty, he was the one responsible. Blood was on his hands concerning
Uriah, Bathsheba's husband. When the faithful prophet Nathan
comes and speaks so clearly to the king, he's brought under
conviction. And what does he say in the course
of his confessions there in Psalm 51? He cries out, take not thy
Holy Spirit from me. There was a ministry of the Holy
Spirit in the Old Testament. There must have been. But what
we see when we come to the New Testament, is the glorious coming
in state of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost. Christ having
accomplished the work of redemption, risen from the dead, ascended
on high, He is the one, as Peter declares there in his sermon,
who was shed abroad the Spirit. And the Spirit comes as the Spirit
of Christ. And it is the Spirit prerogative,
is it not, to apply what Christ has done. He must take of the
things of Christ and reveal them to sinners. The Holy Ghost is
equal with the Father, equal with the Son, and yet the amazing
thing is that we see His ministry as such a self-effacing ministry. That's what Christ says. He doesn't
speak of Himself. He shall take of mine, says Christ,
and shall show it unto you. ye shall testify of me." And
as he testifies of Christ, this is all part and parcel of that
ministry whereby he causes the sinner to approach unto God. He makes the sinner willing to
come. And that is the promise that
is given to Christ in the 110th Psalm, thy people shall be willing
in the day of thy power." What is the day of Christ's power?
It is His gospel day. Behold, now is the accepted time.
Behold, now is the day of salvation. And even yet, you see, Christ
by His Spirit is making those sinners that were given to Him
in the eternal covenant, He's making them willing. No man,
no man can say that Jesus Christ is Lord but by the Holy Ghost. Oh, it is peculiar prerogative
to reveal the things of Christ, to bring sinners to God. When
the sinner is born again, he's born from above. And that new
birth is a spiritual birth, as Christ says. That that he's born
of the flesh is flesh. That that he's born of the Spirit
is Spirit. It's the Spirit's work. It's
the spiritual. And yet, we do see the other
persons in the Godhead at work at the same time, do we not?
Because there's a blessed unity in the Godhead. Think of the
words of the Lord Jesus in John chapter 6. He says, No man can
come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him,
and I will raise him up at the last hour. It is written in the
Prophets They shall be all taught of God. And it was these words
of the Lord Jesus that was such an offense to so many in that
chapter. Because when we come to the end
of the chapter we see so many departing from the Lord. Look at what we read at verse
65. It's a long chapter, John 6. to most interesting chapter
because at the beginning of course we have the feeding of the five
thousands and we see how the people want to make a king of
Jesus. There seem to be multitudes following
him at the beginning of John chapter 6. But when we come to
the end The Lord's ministry has been such a willowing ministry
in the things that he has said that it appears that even the
twelve apostles will forsake him. The chapter of the blessed
diminishings. That was the term that our late
friend Sidney Norton used to use in reference to John chapter
6. The chapter of the blessed diminishings. And what was it
that offended? Well, verse 65 The Lord said,
Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except
it were given unto him of my father. From that time many of
his disciples went back and walked no more with him." Here was the
offense, you see. And the offense is this divine
sovereignty. That God is the One, the only
One who can make the sinner willing. Therefore said I unto you that
no man can come unto me except it were given unto him of my
father." From that time, when the Lord was declaring these
blessed truths, they were offended, and multitudes went off and forsook
Him. And yet, of course, we're not
to lose sight throughout that chapter of the gracious gospel
words that the Lord Jesus is speaking time and time again. He says, All that the Father
giveth me shall come to me, and he that cometh to me I shall
he know wise cast out. Oh yes, only those who are given
to him by the Father will come. But all who come, this is the
great thing, friends, is it not? Are we those who are willing
to come? All that will come to Christ. He'll cast none of them
out. He'll receive them. He's a gracious
Saviour. But how we see that the work,
this great work, is the work of God the Father, God the Son,
and God the Holy Spirit. Election by the Father, redemption
by the Son, regeneration by the Holy Spirit. And you know, we
have it there in that chapter that we read. I know I've said
this probably several times previously, but what a chapter it is, Ephesians
chapter 1. Now I know that the punctuation
marks that we have in the Authorized Version are not part and parcel
of the inspired Word of God. Strangely, there's no punctuation
really in the original Greek there. But look at the punctuation
as it has been applied by those faithful men who were responsible
for the authorized version. And you'll see that we have long
sentences. After the words of greeting,
at verse 3, we have the commencement of a sentence that reaches through
to verse 6. And the subject matter of that
verse, that long verse, is God the Father and how God the Father
has chosen the people in Christ and predestinated them. And then
at verse 7 we have another long sentence that runs right the
way through to verse 12 and what is the subject matter of that
sentence? It is the work of God the Son, the great work of redemption
that the Son came to accomplish in the fullness of the time. And then verses 13 and 14, we
have a shorter verse, but it speaks quite specifically of
the ministry of the Holy Spirit, the sealing of the Spirit. And
then from verse 15 to the end we have another long sentence,
and again in many ways that is unfolding in more detail how
the Spirit works in the application of that redemption. And it is a mighty work of God
to bring any sinner to saving faith. It is the work of the
Blessed Spirit Himself, is it not? And we have that tremendous
statement in verse 19. The exceeding greatness
of His power to us would who believe. According to the working
of His mighty power which he wrought in Christ when he raised
him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the
heavenly places." What is Paul saying? He is saying, is he not,
that the power in those that believe, that that is necessary in order
to bring the sinner who is dead in trespasses and sins to saving
faith, is according to the working of his mighty power which he
wrought in Christ. It's the same power that was
there when Christ was raised again from the dead. Look at
the language of Paul as he speaks of this power in them that believe.
He doesn't just say power, he doesn't just speak of great power,
Typical Pauline language really, you just keep piling the words
one on top of the other. He says, it is the exceeding
greatness of his power to wash wounds. Every new birth, every
conversion of the sinner is a mighty work of God. That's what he's
saying. It is a mighty work of God. And
so, what is the sinner created to? He is created to the glory
of God. He is made, is he not, to have
fellowship with God. This is the chief end of man.
The language of the Shorter Catechism. Remember the very first question
of the Catechism. What is the chief end of man?
Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. And so what do we have here in
the text before us this morning? We see the doctrine, we see the
work of the Father in election, the work of the Son in redemption,
the work of the Spirit in quickening and communicating living faith.
We see the Trinity, and all of this leads to this, that we should
have fellowship with God in three persons. Truly our fellowship
is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Now what is this fellowship?
What is this fellowship? Well, three things I want to
mention. First of all, we see here that there is access to
God. There is access to God. The sinner
can come to God. Blessed is the man whom thou
choosest and cause us to approach unto the Oh friends, this is
our great privilege, is it not, that we can know God. We can
draw near unto God. Verse 2, O thou that hearest
prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come. There is a way of access
and entrance whereby we might draw near unto God. Now, We see
quite clearly that it is the Lord Jesus Christ who is that
one through whom we enjoy the access and the entrance. It is the Lord Jesus Christ who
is the mediator. There is one God and one mediator
between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. We know the words. 1 Timothy 2, 5. One God. One mediator. and that mediator,
the man, which is God the Son incarnate, that one who is able
to stand between heaven and earth. When we think in terms of the
mystery of the person of the sage, he is God and he is man. Two natures. Two natures in one
person. He is the God-man. Is that one
that Job desires, is he not? Or that there were a day's man
betwixt us, who may lay his hand upon us each? He can lay his
hand upon God, he can lay his hand upon man. He is the day's
man, the Lord Jesus Christ, the only mediator. But look at what
Paul says in Ephesians chapter 2, on that 18th verse. He says, through Him we both,
He's speaking of Jew and Gentile there. He's speaking of the great
mystery, the calling of Gentiles. Through Him we both have access,
by one Spirit, unto the Father. Do we not there see the Trinity?
Through Him, that is through Christ, through Christ, through
His mediation, we have access. by one Spirit unto the Father."
Oh, we're favoured, you see, to know something of God in all
the fullness of His triune being when we come to pray. We address
our prayers unto the Father, do we not? When you pray, Christ
said, in giving instruction to His disciples, when you pray,
say, Our Father, which art in heaven, Do we address Him as
Father? And how do we approach Him? We
approach through the Son. We have access through the Son,
who is the Mediator. But how do we need that blessed
ministry of the Spirit? Oh, it is by the Spirit. We need
the Spirit Himself to come to us as the Spirit of prayer, the
Spirit of grace, and of supplications. This is the blessing, you see,
that God as in view in these great doctrines that the sinner
might be brought to God and the sinner might enjoy access and
entrance into the very presence of God. But then what else do
we see here with regards to this fellowship? There is acceptance.
There is acceptance also with God. Verse 4, that he may dwell in thy courts. We shall be satisfied with the
goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple, or to come and
to dwell in the very presence of God." Don't we see this time
and again? I know the psalmist is aspiring
after this. He wants to know something of
real communion with God. Look at what we read back in
chapter 27. What does David say there at
verse 4? "...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." This is the believer's
desire, is it not, to be in God's presence, to be where God is.
Isn't that really, it should certainly be our motivation for
coming together in public worship, because the Lord Jesus Christ
himself has promised, where two or three are met together in
my name, there am I in the midst. Or what is the house to me except
the master I can serve, asks John Berridge. How we should
be those friends who know something of the desire of the believer.
Some are troubled and tormented, are they not, by that great doctrine
of election that we spoke of? And we have to examine ourselves
and prove ourselves and know ourselves. Peter says, give diligence to
make your calling and election sure. How can we know? How can we know our election? The secret things belong unto
the Lord our God. It's the things that are revealed
that belong unto us. And what are the things revealed?
Well, what we have here in the Psalm, amongst other things,
David's desire. Or do we have a desire this morning?
Can we say with David, as he goes on to speak in Psalm 38,
all my desire is before them, and my groaning is not hid from
them. Sometimes our desire is so intense,
so real, that we can't really find adequate words to express
what we're feeling towards God. That was David's blessed experience. Isn't that a mark of election,
where there is that desire in the soul, that longing, that
yearning, that hungering and thirsting? We have to look to
ourselves. Maybe you say, well, I have very little desire for
spiritual things. Alas, I have very little hunger
or thirst for spiritual things. Sometimes we're in that place.
But does it trouble us? That's the question, isn't it?
Are we content just to come and go and to feel nothing at all? All the believer is one who has
real desires. He wants to know that he is accepted
with God. and as is accepted with God so
also there is a blessed inheritance that has been laid up for those
who are the people of God. I have not seen nor heard neither
have entered into the heart of man the things that God hath
prepared for them that love him." Oh, there is a blessed inheritance
and David knew that also. What does he say in Psalm 73
Whom have I in heaven but Thee? There is none upon earth that
I desire beside. For where there is the desire,
you see, there will be that blessed inheritance that the believer
will enter into the fullness of in God's appointed time. And
then also, what do we see? We see that God is One who gives
answer to prayers, We do not pray in vain. Verse 2, O thou that hearest
prayer. All you believe is that God hears
our prayers. And as God hears our prayers,
so God answers our prayers. And how God answers, verse 5,
by terrible things in righteousness will thou answer us, O God of
our salvation, who are the confidence of all the ends of the earth
and of them that are afar off upon the surface." God answers
prayer. What is God's promise? Before
they call, I will answer. While they are yet speaking,
I will hear. You see, we're not answered for
how much speaking. God has every intention to answer
before they call. before they cause. The cause, the reason, is found
in Himself. God is good, God does good. He hears prayers. Why, Paul tells
us again in Ephesians, He's able to do exceedingly, abundantly,
above all that we ask or think. We cannot conceive that. The
greatness and the goodness of God When we pray to Him, He's
able to do much more than ever we could conceive. Oh, is that
God, you see, who has Himself ordained prayer? He's sovereign,
yes, He has ordained all things, He will accomplish His eternal
decree, He knows the end from the beginning, but God will accomplish
His end by certain means. And this is where prayer comes
in. What does he say to Israel at the end of Ezekiel 36? I will yet for this be inquired
of by the children of Israel to do it for them. Well, we'll
do it. He's speaking there, the context
is one in which he's speaking of restoration from the captivity
in Babylon. Chapter 37 we have and that vision
of the valley full of dry bones and the prophet is subsequently
told to prophesy unto the bones and all come together and they're
clothed in sinews and flesh become a great army. God will restore
the remnants. They'll be brought out of exile.
They'll be restored to Jerusalem. But what does he say at the end
of chapter 36? He'll be inquired of. He'll do it. He'll increase them with men
like a flock, He says. All God has ordained prayers,
friends, and He hears our prayer. O thou that hearest prayer, unto
thee shall all flesh come. But what an answer we have here
in verse 5, by terrible things it says, in righteousness. But what are we to make of this? Well, as God causes a man to
approach Him, doesn't that man see and feel something more of
his sins? And that's terrible. That's a
terrible thing. This was David's experience,
was it not? Here he is waiting upon God,
and he says, Iniquities prevail against me. He's made, you see,
to feel. something more of his real condition,
his sinnership. That's a terrible thing, I say.
And we see it time and again. We see it in the experience of
Isaiah the prophet, in chapter 6, where he receives his call
and his commission. The king, Isaiah, has died and
he's there in the temple and he sees God's throne in vision.
And he sees the burning seraphim, those elect angels about the
throne doing the bidding of God, all is overwhelmed, woe is me,
you see, I am undone I am a man of unclean lips, I dwell in the
midst of a people of unclean lips mine eyes have seen the
King, the Lord of hosts how he's made to feel, you see, something
of his sins this is what God does, by terrible things in righteousness,
will thou answer us? we'll see something more of ourselves,
not only Isaiah, we see it time and again Daniel, look at Daniel
chapter 10 And there at verse 5, in the following verses, what
does he say? His comeliness, when he sees
the glories of God, his comeliness is turned to corruption. His comeliness turned to corruption.
He's made to see and feel his sins. There are so many examples
we could give. Just one more, that that we have
at the end of the New Testament, John. or the beloved disciple
in exile on the Isle of Patmos. And there he sees the vision
of the glorified Christ. And what does he say when I saw
him? I fell at his feet as dead. All terrible. I fell at his feet
as dead. He laid his right hand upon me
and said, fear not. I am the first and the last,
I am he that liveth and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore,
amen, and have the keys of hell and of death. The Lord lays his
hand upon him, sets him on his feet." These are terrible things,
you see. It is a terrible thing, I say,
to do business with this God, this God of sovereign grace,
when we see Him in all His holy attributes. Are we those who
are truly humbled before Him? Or do we even today, as we come
into this place, desire that, with meekness, to receive this
worthy and grafted work, able to save the soul? Oh, the Lord
be pleasing to bless these things to us. Iniquities prevail against
me as for our transgressions. Thou shalt purge them away. Blessed
is the man whom thou choosest. and cause us 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. Amen.