Amen. All right, take your bowels
and turn back with me to Psalm 77. Psalm. Seventy seven. It's right, a title, it would
be a believer, the believers plea and conflict. The believers plea. And conflict. Now, we know this, that none
of the children of God shall escape the dark providences of
God in this life. None of us will escape the pain
and tribulation and trials and troubles that God has decreed
for us. None of us will escape the chastening
hand of our loving Father. We know this. For whom the Lord
loveth, He chasteneth and scourgeth every son. And if you be without
chastisement, you are bastards and not sons. We know this. Every believer understands this. No believer escapes the warfare
within his own heart. The flesh lusteth against the
spirit, and the spirit against the flesh, these are contrary
one to another, so that you cannot do what you would. No believer
is able to escape the snares of the enemy, the hatred of this
world, or the vileness of his own flesh. We know these things. And so when these afflictions
and persecutions, when these trials and pains, sorrows and
tribulations come upon us, even though we know this, we
are often confused by them when they come. We're confused as to why God would allow such
dark providences upon us. These, sometimes in the days
of our strength and joy, we stand on the highest mountain and we
say, I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene and wonder
how he could love me a sinner to condemn. Oh, how marvelous. Oh, how wonderful. You ever been
there? We love those times in our strength. But in times of grief and pain,
When the tears flow like rivers and our hearts are melted like
wax, we begin to sing the song here that Asaph is singing. I cried unto the Lord with my
voice, even with my voice, I cried. When we are in trouble and the
sore of our affliction runs into the night, When our remembrances of God
are not sweet, but grievous. Asaph here says, you know, when
I remember God, he didn't say it was sweet. He said I was troubled. I was troubled. When our prayers
of shout and praise are changed to lamentation and weeping. When our strong faith melts under
the heat of our afflictions. Have you ever been here? Have you ever been in this place? Have you been so pressed out
of measure, that like Asaph, you said, I can't even speak.
I can't even talk. Because of the tears, because
of the pain is so great, I can't speak. Have you ever been so grieved
as to feel that God has left you? Abandoned? Have you felt like at times His
promises are in vain? This is the condition of the
man in our text. He cried unto God. He knew God
heard him. He said, I know God heard me. But we're going to read that
just because God heard him did not solve his problem. It did
not abase his pain. And so when he remembered God,
he was troubled. In verse 3, I complained. Instead
of praise, I complained. Anybody been there? He complained and he was overwhelmed
and wondered if God had cast him off forever. In these times,
let us not forget what our Lord told us. We must remember what
He said. In this world you shall have
tribulation without doubt. You shall have tribulation. This world will hate you. The apostle said we must through
much tribulation enter the kingdom of God. Remember this. When our faith is strong, we
say like Peter, I'll die with. We find out soon that our strength
is not sufficient to keep ourselves just like Peter. And so when the deep, dark providences
of God come up, cause the billows of affliction and grief to overwhelm
our souls, We say like David, as deep calleth
unto the deep at the noise of thy waterspouts, all thy waves
and thy billows are gone over me. I'll ask you again if you've
been there. I'm asking us to be honest. This
man's honest. This man, God opens this man's
soul and bears it out doubts and fears and all. In the times of darkness and
confusion God has not left us without a word of comfort. In
these times of dark providence God has left us examples of these
saints so that we in these afflictions might be comforted. We might find rest. We might find some peace in knowing
this. I'm not the only one. I'm not
the only child of God that's experienced these things. Those who've gone before us,
they show us these, and Asaph here shows us the trouble and
torment of his soul, and that mirrors mine. That mirrors yours. You can take Asaph's trials,
his afflictions, and set it up, and you can see yourself here.
You can. Words of this troubled saint
are the very words and thoughts of our own heart, if we're honest. But as Asa found comfort and
escaped his despair, even so, by studying this, may God do
the same for us. And so this is the first thing
we want to see in this song is the plea of the troubled saint. He doesn't start out with some
great soliloquy. He doesn't start out with some
great measure of praise as other Psalms do. He starts out with
a cry. He said, I cried unto God with
my voice, even unto God with my voice. And He gave ear unto
me. The child of God is not exempt
from these troubles that are common to man. And I say we have
more troubles than the common man. We have spiritual woes,
spiritual afflictions, spiritual enemies that the natural man,
the lost man does not have. But we have something that the
lost man doesn't have. Listen to this. Access to God. You and I who are believers in
Christ, we have access to God. We have access by Jesus Christ
to make our troubles known and plead our case for deliverance
before God. You have that. Go to Romans chapter 5. Read
this with me. Romans chapter 5. Look at verse
one. The apostle says, therefore.
Therefore, being justified. By faith. We have peace with
God through our Lord Jesus Christ. And we who are believers consider
this. We are justified. We are justified
by faith and this is the faith of Christ. We are justified by
the faith of Christ who has obtained this justification. Scripture
tells us that we were justified by God the Father. In Romans
chapter 8 you read that, we're justified by God. But we're only
justified by God through the offering and the righteousness
of Jesus Christ. You are justified. Christ has obtained these things
for us, both righteousness and redemption. That's required. If you're justified, you must
be righteous. If you are justified, you must be redeemed. And this
is what Christ has done in our behalf. Romans 3, 22, but even
the righteousness of God, which is by the faith of Jesus Christ. So wonderfully clear. that Christ
has obtained my righteousness, even the righteousness of God.
And that righteousness has been given to us who believe. As our
representative, he honored the law of God, magnified the law
of God and obtained this righteousness. And now, by his grace, he has
given it to us. Secondly, redemption in Hebrews
nine and verse 12. It says he didn't enter with
the blood of goats and calves. But with his own blood entered
in once to the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption. I have been redeemed, bought
with a price, the precious blood of Jesus Christ, as of a lamb
without spot and without blemish. He redeemed us. And what do these
two things do? Righteousness and redemption. This is the matter of reconciliation. Jesus Christ has reconciled us
to God. What Paul says in second Corinthians
five, he says, all things are of God at salvation. You got it's all of God. It's all of God. who hath reconciled us to himself
by Jesus Christ. You see, it's done. That's what
he's telling you. He hath already reconciled us
to God by Jesus Christ. Before I knew it, I was already
reconciled. Now, I didn't know it, I didn't
have any experience in it when I came into this world and lived
so many years without understanding it or knowing it. But then what
he says and have given to us the ministry of reconciliation.
Now, what's that for? So I might know it. So I might
experience it. He's given the ministry of reconciliation
to which God was in Christ, reconciling the world himself, not imputing
their trespasses to them. And number two has committed
to us the word of reconciliation. You see, He's reconciled me and
then he's going to send somebody to tell me about it. What God was in, it says, and
now we are ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you
by us. We pray you in Christ dead be your record. What's the
grounds of this? How can I as a sinner be reconciled? You're you're compelling me to
do something that I know I can't do. How is this? Here's the ground. For. God made him to be seen
for us who do no see. That we might be made. The righteousness of God in him. And truly we were that's the
grounds of my justification and now then listen was Paul say
back in back in that passage in Romans five in Romans five. He says this, by whom also we
have access. You see, you have justification,
you have peace with God. Now you have not only peace with
God and justification, you have access to God. Access. by faith into this grace wherein
we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. So being reconciled, being justified,
having peace with God, we now have access by Jesus Christ. Therefore, in Hebrews 4 and verse
16, Paul says, let us therefore come boldly to the throne of
grace. That we might obtain mercy and
find grace to help in time of need. Why should we who are justified
have peace with God need access? Because we have trouble. Because
we have trouble. That you might find help. Okay, who needs help? I'll tell
you this. Only people really need help
or believers. We know we are helpless. And we constantly need
help. Therefore, listen to this. If
you are in affliction, remember, you have constant, instant, perpetual
access to the grace of God to help. At all times. I don't feel worthy. Who cares? That has nothing to
do with your access. But sadly, I tell you, we don't
avail ourselves to this very much. We have this. It's ours. We just don't avail
ourselves. Normally, what we're trying to do is lean on the arm
of flesh. How often have you done that? How often have I done
that lean on an arm of flesh and it fails? You lean on someone
else and they are going to fail you. Eventually. And so most of our troubles come
from leaning on arms of flesh, we find ourselves in despair,
and if then a child of God is in that moment when we find out
that all flesh cannot help, no flesh can help me. It's then
the child of God looks up and pleads to the God of all grace. Just like Asif, this is this
is what has happened. Back to your song. Asif said,
I cried unto God with my voice. Troubled Saint, learn this. Run to God first. I know this is not this is against
our nature, it's against our thoughts. against our feelings. But it sure would save us a lot
of pain. Run to God and not to man. In your grief lay your heart
out bare before God as Asaph does. You notice he doesn't use any
studied or planned prayer here. It is just all out laying it
out. He's like a Hezekiah taking those
papers, those letters from the king of Assyria and just spreading
them out before God. He said, look, I ain't got no,
these people are going to kill us. I got no power to stop them.
Here it is. That's what he's doing, he's
laying it all out. This is what we should do. In
our pain, in our broken heart, lay it all before God. And notice
this, he uses his voice. How often have you been in such
pain that you can't keep it in? You've got to vent. And that's what he's doing is
he is venting. It's bottled inside of him. And he said, I cried. It just couldn't contain it anymore.
Believer, use your voice. Sometimes, Spurgeon said, sometimes
the soul feels compelled to use the voice, and thus it finds
a freer vent of its agony. Use your voice. Cry unto him. Oh, my soul, are you troubled?
Are you? Then vent it to God. Cry unto him and notice that
he He was once wasn't sufficient. Notice that he said, I cried
unto God with my voice, even unto God with my voice. I did
it again. In such straits and sorrows,
nothing but God's answer will stop the plea of God's saints. There is nothing but God's answer.
See, when I'm praying to God, I'm not looking for the answers
from men. I need an answer from him. And it won't stop until
I find an answer from him. Remember that woman of Canaan
who came to him? She said, Lord, my daughter is
grievously vexed with the devil, but he answered her not a word. And she turned around and left.
Is that what it says? You know, it isn't. She kept
on begging. Because he was silent did made
her her pain. More, it made it worse. What? Fred. But I'm not asking for
merit, I'm asking for mercy. You know what she found? She
found mercy. What a lesson for us. Ask and
keep on asking. Cry and keep on crying. And he will hear. Let us then
cry the more if we're not heard, if we're not answered right away,
if we're not answered right away, bow lower. Worship more. Plead for him to
hear and answer. That's what Ace of is here doing.
He cried with his voice and when it didn't work, he cried again.
He cried again. And notice this, he gave ear
unto me. Importunity prevailed, the gate
was open. His ear is always attentive to
your cry. But just because he hears you
doesn't mean that he's going to deliver you immediately. Asaph
was not delivered immediately, and often times we are not delivered
immediately. Notice this in verse 2. He says,
In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord. Notice how early he
sought Him. That's good. He sought Him the
very day of his trouble. I feel ignorant in this often.
I wait. We should seek Him early. But
notice this. He said, My sore ran into the
night and ceased not, even though God heard him, even though he
was he was constant in his crying to God. Yet, even though he sought him
early, he said this, My sore ran into the night and it ceased
not. It didn't get better. It got worse. How often have
you cried to God and it didn't get better, it got worse. Happened to this man. Happened
to this thing. Is there any sorrow? Greater than when God hides his
face from us. When God doesn't answer. You
find anything more grievous to your heart? We could be surrounded by friends
and family and loved ones. We could be everybody having
a great time. But listen, if God's not if I
can't feel his presence, I don't know he's here, then. I'm of
all people, most miserable. Most miserable. Noticed in the
things that normally would comfort him are now useless. Look at
verse two again. My soul ran in the night is not
my soul refused to be comforted. refused to be comforted. In such
fits of grief and sorrow, even the promises of God that should
bring us gladness are refused. Spurgeon said this, he said,
a sick man as a sick man turns away, even from the most nourishing
food, so did Asa. It is impossible to comfort those
who refuse to be comforted. How often are we stubborn like
this? God gives us the comforting word
and we still refuse. Our grief and our sorrow are
too much to bear. Promises of God. And such in
one will not be comforted until God really speaks to me. Now
listen, you can give me all the verses and scriptures you want
to and that's good, there's nothing wrong with that. We should try
to comfort one another. Listen to the pain of this man
that even the thoughts of God only added to his sorrow. He
cried to God but God was silent. His comforts of the promises
of God escaped him and now he concludes that God is surely
not come because of his own sin. He said, I complained. I love the honesty of scripture,
don't you? Isn't it just wonderful that somebody is actually saying
this? This man of God complained. Do you complain? Surely it convicts me of my sin
when I complain. Wherefore doth the living man
complain? Isn't that what they said in
Lamentations? Wherefore does a living man complain you're
alive? You made that complaint? Jonah did, didn't he? After he
lost his old gourd. He folded his arms and said,
just God, kill me. Just kill me. And God, in mercy,
said, does that well to be angry. You know, if you or I were God,
we would have struck him dead. We would have gave him what he
wanted. You ungrateful. Man, that's just like us. Just
like me. Complain against God. Behold the sad case then of God's
suffering children. We have often been found in such
a sad case as this. Let us read then the transcript.
Now we see his complaint. We see his cry eyes open in the
middle of the night in terror, in fear. I'm so much trouble that I can't
even talk, I cry too much to speak. Believer has these troubles cause
you such to doubt and even fear that you have no union with Christ.
This is what he was troubled about. He was troubled that he
had no union. He was troubled that God cast
him off going to see that in just a minute when he talks about
it. The psalmist tries to consider
then better times. Look at verses 5. He said, I
have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times. I
call to remembrance my song in the night. I commune with my
own heart and my spirit made diligent search. He's trying
to remember better times. He goes to the Word of God to
find God's goodness. He remembers God's good to Israel.
He remembers the covenant of his grace. And this is good practice,
friends. There's nothing wrong with what
he's doing here. To remember these things is good. Let us
call to our minds the grace and power of God of ancient times.
Remember, what has God done in ancient times for you? Did he
not choose you in ancient times? Did he not in love predestinated
you to be conformed to the image of His Son, chose you. Consider
and remember how Jesus Christ became your surety in ancient
times, and in ancient times for us, 2,000 plus years ago, Christ
redeemed us with His own blood. Consider just what happened a
few years back when God called us in grace. Remember what great
things God has done for us. He called us. And even now, even in the middle
of your trouble, if you're crying to God, you're still trusting
he's the only one that can help. And that why you're crying to
him. Will you cry to anybody else? No, nobody else can help. So
now We make a diligent search. He makes a diligent search. And
this is some serious questions. He's not asking these things
just to ramble off or take up space. This is His diligent search.
I remember your love and your mercy toward Israel. I remember
all that. I consider that. But notice this. This is His diligent search.
Will the Lord cast off forever? Will He be favorable no more?
Is His mercy clean gone forever? Does his promises fail forevermore? Hath God forgotten to be gracious? Hath he in anger shut up his
tender mercies? These are the diligent searches
he's making. How often do we feel God has abandoned us? And
we say, you're going to do this forever? This is real. I feel it is very real to me
he's abandoned me. I consider his I remember his
promise, I will never leave you nor forsake you. I remember that.
But then my experience is. I don't feel his presence, I
don't have you cast me off. Forever. You see, when the the
promises of. All I see is the soul of this
thing, so that we who ask such questions in our grief. Might
not, might see we're not alone. My friends, I, in all honesty,
I have asked these same questions. I have asked these same questions. I made a diligent search. Isn't
this what it says, make your calling and election sure? That's
what this man's doing. So we see in his despair. But
here's the whole number three. The comfort and consolation of
remembering God's work. Look in verse 11. This is his
determination. Now look. He's saying this, I
understand my experience and the promises of God seem to contradict
one another, but I'm going to, he determines to do something.
He says this, I, verse 11, I will remember the works of the Lord.
Surely I will remember thy works of old. I will meditate also
of all thy work and talk of thy doings. Thy way, O God, is in
the sanctuary. who is so great a God as our
God, thou art God that doest wonders and has declared thy
strength among the people. Thou hast with thine arm redeemed
thy people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. So what is he meditating
on? He's meditating on God's salvation.
He's meditating on the work of God. My salvation is not dependent
then upon me. It is completely and absolutely
the work of God. Remember that. How often have you failed in
your grief and sorrow? How often have you failed? Well, remember, your failure
has nothing to do with this work. I will remember thy work. I will
remember thy way. What is that? That's Christ,
isn't it? He is the way. Thy way in the
sanctuary. The sanctuary is where the sacrifices
were made. The sanctuary is where the worship
of God took place. That's Christ. He's the whole
sanctuary. He's the tabernacle. He's the
he's the offering. He's the altar. He's the mercy
seat. Christ is all of that. Remember
that. God is going to be gracious to
you because of Christ. Remember his way that he has
redeemed his people. And then he uses this illustration
in verse 16 through verse 19. He talks about the waters. The
waters saw the Oh God, the water saw the and were afraid and the
depths were all troubled. He's talking about the Red Sea
here. He's remembering the deliverance of Israel through the sea. Through
the sea. He's saying this, the waters
feared when God showed up, the waters feared so much they parted.
I just got out of the way. Remember that God delivered Israel
by the blood, and it was God who hardened Pharaoh's heart,
wasn't it? It was God who brought Pharaoh
to their back door. It was God who pinned them in
between the sea and Pharaoh. When your trouble comes, who
brings it? Who's bringing it? Who set all those circumstances
just right so that you would be in this pit? Who did that? God did. Now remember, you were
already redeemed. God put you in the pit, but notice
this. As God delivered Israel through
the sea, even so he delivers us. I thought of the Red Sea. Have
you ever thought of being in the middle of that? You're you're
imagined. I think several stories high. Just the water was really high.
I just I can't remember exactly how high it is now, but imagine
walking through that. Not a comfortable place, you
suppose. The only way that place was comfortable,
you really believe God. You had faith that place was
comfortable. If you doubted that place was not a pleasant place. But it didn't make them any less
safe, did it? Their doubts and fears didn't
make them any less safe. Your doubts and fears make you
nonetheless safe. Why? Because God. God parted this. That water speaks
of his justice, his divine justice. Christ has made a way where the
justice of God will never touch you. Ever. You realize that that God will
never be. Angry. With you. Why, because Christ has put away
your sin forever. All this crying and all this
doubting and all this conflict. He's already put it away. God
made a way in the water. And I like this. Look at this.
He says in verse 19, the way is in the sea and the path in
great waters and the footsteps are not known. You got that when
you if God is as though God's walking on the water and when
he walks, where's his footprints? Can you see footprints on the
water? No, neither can you understand God's providence. We'll close with this. See if
I can find it. Ecclesiastes chapter 9, verse
1. Look at it. Look at it. For all this I consider in my heart, even to declare
all this, here it is, that the righteous and the wise and their
works are in the hand of God. So if you're righteous and you're
wise and your works, whose hand are they in? Who worked your salvation? In
the hand of God, isn't it? Yes, it is. Listen, no man knoweth
either love or hatred by all that is before them. You got that? You're not going
to know the love or the hatred of God by the providence you
see. How do I know that God is with
me? How do I know in the midst of
my troubles he still loves me? Jesus. Christ. That's how I know he loves Look
at the cross. And see how much. He really. And he says at the end of this
passage, he says that the Lord leads his people. If we're in a pit, God led us
there. And if we ever get out, God will lead us out. Remember that. When you start
complaining in your own soul. When your soul is so stubborn
it refuses to be comforted. When you cry to God and he doesn't
answer, remember that. Our God is God. He's a great God. I pray that God help us in the
midst of our tears. In the midst of our pain. I always think of that little
lamb that he carries. That's how I feel most of the
time is that I'm just being carried. And I'm so thankful for his strength
to carry me. That's my hope of ever making
it through this life in faith is him. carrying me. I know if you're