Psalm 125. Though this is a second
part of a message that I had preached earlier, I came up with
another title. Comfort in an Uncomfortable Message. Comfort in an Uncomfortable Message. Let's read these words together
in Psalm 125, a song of degrees. They that trust in the Lord shall
be as Mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth forever. As the mountains are round about
Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about His people from henceforth
even forever. For the rod of the wicked shall
not rest upon the lot of the righteous, lest the righteous
put forth their hands unto iniquity. Do good, O Lord, unto those that
be good, and to them that are upright in their hearts. As for
such as turn aside under their crooked ways, the Lord shall
lead them forth with the workers of iniquity. But peace shall
be upon Israel. I'm going to go very quickly
over these first couple of verses. My text is going to be found
in verse 3. For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the
lot of the righteous, lest the righteous put forth their hands
unto iniquity." And we have seen this song of degrees is a song
of Israel as they marched to Jerusalem, as they marched those
three times a year toward the worship of God in Zion. And as they marched, they would
sing these songs as they went up by degrees, and this is one
of those songs. This song. And this song reminds
us again that we are on a journey. That this is not our home, praise
God. This is not our life. Our life
is hid with God in Christ. Our life is in glory. Our life
is in heaven. Our home, our kingdom, that is
where our lot is. That is where our inheritance
is. And we are marching to Zion. There are many good things that
God gives us in this life. Especially salvation is our greatest
gift that God gives His people, is His salvation. And He gives
us many things in this world, but this world, for a believer,
is not easy. This way is not easy. It is hard. It is a hard way simply because
of this. We still have that old nature
of sin residing in us. I imagine this life would not
be so hard had we not had that. But because of the constant warfare,
because of the constant struggle, we have enemies surrounding us
constantly, bombarding us. Satan walketh about this path
that we are treading to glory, seeking who he may devour. I
want you to pay attention, because the moment you think you are
beyond devouring, is the moment you're devoured. The moment you
think, I got this, and I'm well, and all is good, then you fall. Let any man thinketh he stand. That's all it is. It's a vain
thought if you think you're standing this morning. If you think you're
standing on your own, that's a vain thought. If any man thinketh he standeth,
take heed lest he what? Fall. We are constantly struggling
with sin. Satan, the world, is the enemy
of the church. Satan is the enemy. But what
is the greatest? Who is the greatest enemy? It
is self. It is me. I am the greatest enemy
that I face every single day of my life. Satan and the world would have
no hold on me if it were not for self, if it were not for
sin in my own heart. And so as we face this journey,
we understand this, that we are constantly bombarded with sin. Constantly tempted. And many
times in this journey we are cast down and we are fallen.
But what is our hope? This morning, if you have fallen,
what is your hope? If you have cast down because
of your sin, because of the thoughts of your flesh, because of your
unfaithfulness in your mind and heart, what is your hope? It
is found in this Song of Degrees. Here it is. They that trust in
the Lord shall not be moved, shall not
be removed. Isn't that what it says? They
that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion, which Listen,
cannot be removed. Not only does it say it won't
be removed, it says it cannot be removed. You cannot dig this foundation
out. You cannot, you can destroy every
foundation of earth, can't you? You can destroy everything. You
can destroy your relationship. You can destroy your family.
You can destroy yourself. You can mess up your own body. Praise God, there's something
we can't mess up. There's something that no one
can dig this foundation down, not even you. We just fall on it. When we fall,
what do we fall on? We fall on this foundation and
we are broken. We are broken into pieces. But
this foundation is not chipped. It's not even moved. It can't
be moved. You are established on the rock. Why? Of God are
you in Christ Jesus. Now if it was of Tia are you
in Christ Jesus, you might be afraid. If it was of Joanne that
you're in Christ Jesus, you might have well to fear. Listen, if
it was of your pastor you were in Christ Jesus, you have a lot
to fear. But because it is of God you
are in Christ Jesus, listen, this cannot be removed. It cannot
be undone. You got that? It can't be undone.
It can't be. God did it. And God doesn't undo
anything. You ever thought of things that
you wish you would go back and do over? What a foolish thought
that is. What a vain thought. I have thought
that many times. If I could just go back and correct
this. If I could just go back and start
over. What a foolish thought because
that's arrogancy. That's nothing but pride as though
my way was better than God's. No, this is God's way. God's way. And God can't undo
this, He won't undo this. He said this, you're mine and
no one. Who can match omnipotence? Unfold the grasp of thy right
hand and pluck the sinner thence. Who? Who? No one. No one. And the second comforting
thing He tells us is the mountains are round about Jerusalem. This
speaks of the righteousness of Christ. This speaks of the covering
of the blood of Christ. He surrounds His people. He covers
them so that they cannot be touched. That inner man, that new man,
it cannot be tainted. It cannot be made unholy. Oh, that's so good. Is that not
great? Is that not good that that thing
cannot be touched? It cannot be... You didn't make
it. God made it. You can't unmake it. God has made it holy. It's holy. It's eternally holy. That's what
He says. Forever. He says it twice. You shall be
founded like Zion forever. You shall be surrounded forever.
Why? Because you're holy. Holy. We are covered. We are sheltered. in the refuge
of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Our Lord and Savior, He came
into this world and He died and He suffered all the wrath of
God. And God, the Holy Spirit, in
time came to us, didn't He? and reveal these things. Now
these things were so before He came to us, weren't they? These
things were so before we ever knew we were on Christ, before
we were ever known we were surrounded by Christ, before we ever experienced
these things, they were already done. They were already purposed. They were already accomplished.
And in time, God the Holy Spirit, He called us so that we began
this journey to walk by faith. And how then are we to continue
walking by faith? I mean walking. We're to walk
by faith, isn't it? The just shall live by faith. The just shall live by faith. Now if you want to know how to
live, and that's the question most people want to know. How
do I live in this life? live by faith. And I promise
you, if you're living by faith, you will not give to sin. That's
just so, isn't it? If you are looking to Christ... Paul said that in Galatians,
didn't he? He said, "...whoso walketh after the Spirit shall not fulfill
the lust of the flesh." But know this, that every believer has this
promise that even now there is no condemnation to those who
are in Christ Jesus. No condemnation. Not from God. No. Self, yes. We condemn ourselves constantly. And I say rightly so. We must
confess our sins. And He is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins. Now, let's see this next portion.
Now, we've got this comforting thing, but there's something
here in verse 3 that's a very instructive portion of Scripture.
This is going to be a very uncomfortable portion of the message. Look
at what God says. even though we're founded on
Zion, founded like Zion, even though we're surrounded. He says
this, "...for the rod of the wicked shall not rest on the
lot of the righteous, lest the righteous put forth his hand
to iniquity." Now this rod, rod of the wicked, truly reminds us of this, that
everything that is used as a rod, God uses it. It's God's rod. It's God. Now God has a rod for
the wicked, doesn't He? He said this rod He's talking
about is for the righteous. This rod that He's talking about
is for His people. God has a rod for the wicked. God has a rod
for the wicked and those who are lost. who are not founded
on Zion, who are not surrounded by the blood and righteousness
of Christ. Those who will not believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
You listen. God has a rod for you. Now what
do you use a rod for? My dad used a belt. My dad used
a belt. When he wanted to discipline
us, that's what he used. Back then they had rods. Boy, they
used them for whippings. That's what it's for. Punishment.
Punishment. God has a rod, and that rod of
the wicked, I want you to pay attention, that rod is both present
now and it will be for eternity. God's rod upon the wicked is
forever. Now listen, those of you who
are without Christ, you suffer just like everyone else. The
wicked are vexed with common troubles associated with sin. But after death, but after death
they will receive the full measure of sin." I know this, the wicked
are vexed by sin. Not because they don't love their
sin, they love their sin. They're vexed by the consequences
of sin. They're vexed by the consequences
of their sin. And they're vexed to know this
truth. Vanity of vanities, all is vanity. Now, a wicked man
is vexed by that, that he cannot find satisfaction in this world. He looks, he tries, he sins,
and he cannot find satisfaction. This is a vexation to the lost. This is a vexation to their souls. But I want you to know this,
that God promises to the righteous, to all who are made righteous
by the imparted and imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ. He says this
to you and me, that the rod of the wicked will not rest on you. It will not rest on you. They that trust the Lord, you
will not be removed. And this rod of the wickedness,
you will not suffer. That's a good thing, isn't it?
Here it is. God is saying this. You who are righteous, you will
never suffer the wrath of God. Ever. You will never suffer the
wrath of God. That rod that is for the wicked
shall never rest on you. It will never rest on you. Why? Jesus on Calvary, once and forever,
paid for my sin in full. Hell was suffered. It was just
suffered by my substitute. It was paid for in full by Him.
By His one offering, He hath perfected forever them that are
sanctified. Comfort ye, comfort ye my people,
saith the Lord. Speak comfortably unto Jerusalem.
Why? Her warfare is accomplished.
For the Lord hath received double for all her sins." Now that's
a comforting thing, isn't it? We will never suffer like the
wicked. We will never suffer the wrath
and vengeance of God. Why? God cannot demand twice
payment. He can't do it. That's why He
said in Jeremiah, I will remember their sins no more. You got that? Do you forget your sins? Put yourself in a room alone,
and what do you think of? I think of my sin. I think of
my failings. I think of my difficulties. I
think of all these calamities have fallen on me because of
my sin. You know what God thinks of?
None of them. He willfully, rightfully, and
justly will never remember your sins and iniquities no more.
Not according to His justice or judgment. Now then, I want
you to know that this does not say the rod of the wicked shall
not touch the righteous, does it? Read it, look at it. It shall
not rest on the righteous. He didn't say it won't come near
you. He didn't say it won't hit you.
He didn't say it wouldn't come to you. He said it won't rest
on you. It won't abide on you. I know this about myself. I am
prone to see it. It does not take much for me
to be tempted. It doesn't. It doesn't. Self, wicked nature, that old
man is just as vile and corrupt as he ever was. And so he is
still just as prone to sin. Therefore God says it won't rest
on you. Now listen. Lest. lest the righteous
put forth their hands to iniquity." Now listen, God has pardoned
our sins and our sins, all our sins. If we confess our sins,
He is faithful and just to what? Forgive us all our sins. He is faithful to cleanse us
from all our unrighteousness. He is faithful to do that. But
God also promises something here. That when we sin, He will chasten
us. This rod of the wicked, it will
not rest on you forever, but it does not mean it won't touch
you. Why? Lest you put your hand to
iniquity. Now believer, go ahead. Have
you put your hand to iniquity? This morning, have you put your
hand to iniquity? I would like to think that every
thought that you thought since you got here is pure. I want to think for one minute
that you came with a heart so full of joy that you couldn't
hold back your love for Christ this morning. But I know that's
different. That's not true. It wasn't true
of me. It's not true of you. The best worship we have ever
done is still full of sin. Still mixed with sin. All I do. Paul said, "...in my flesh dwelleth
no good thing, not once, not ever, at any time." Now, when the wicked sins, they
are deeply afflicted. You know this is a true principle,
don't you? What you reap, you will sow. That's just a principle. It's a principle, and it's a
good principle concerning sin. Sin always has a reaping. Sin
always has... It's like a fruit. You put it
in the ground. It's going to come up something. Whatever it
was, it's going to come out. It's going to come out. And you
sow it in secret. Who sows their sins openly? None
among, at least among God's people. We seek to hide them. We seek
to bury them. But they always come out. And
they're bitter fruit. But when a sinner, a lost man
sins, he reaps the fruit of his evil deed, even so it is with
the righteous. We're not any different in this
matter. We're not any different in this matter. We are not exempt
from such troubles. But I tell you, we commit the
same sins. But I want you to know this,
the effect is always different for the righteous. The wicked
sin, and they yield a fruit, a crop of bitterness and sorrow. And so does the righteous. But
there's something worse about the righteous and their reaping
of this. Because we have a spiritual man,
we have a new nature inside of us, we have a spiritual component
that they don't have. And so the burden of these bitter
fruits are much more magnified in the heart of the believer. God says this, train up a child
in the way he should go. That's a good principle, isn't
it? We seek to do that with our children. We seek to train them.
Knowing this, I have no power in how the outcome is. We train
them. We try to. We try to bring them
to the Word of God and hear the Word of God. We train them up.
How much more would God not train us? You know what you're... God is
training you. God is faithful to train you.
And He trains you by this method of chastisement. This is how
He trains us up. God in love as a Father in grace
chastens us by sorrow and affliction and those bitter fruits of our
sins. He chastens us by these things. So when we suffer in the body
or in the soul, what does Paul say? Despise thou not the chastening
of the Lord. We may be made to suffer sickness
and heartache. We may suffer separation from
loved ones. The absence of the presence of
Christ, we may suffer the hatred of men, the shame and disgrace
of our sin, and all of this is to one purpose, one end, to bring
us low, to cause us to bow, to break our will, so that we are
humble before God. God is doing this all the time.
He does this in small things and in large things. Constantly,
perpetually, chastening His children. Not for your destruction, but
for your good. And so then we know this, that
God will chasten His people. David said this, listen to this,
Before I was afflicted, I went astray. But now I have heard
thy word." You see what affliction does? Before we are afflicted,
what do we do? We go astray. Prosperity is a
enemy to the believer. We begin to be self-confident,
self-sufficient, and we don't need God, and God must afflict
us. He must afflict us. Why? So that we will then hear His
Word. He said in that same Psalm 119,
verse 71, It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I
might learn thy statutes. You see what God does with chastening?
He will chasten us. Have you not found that so already,
you believers? Now then, I want to give you
some comforting things about chastisement. That just doesn't
sound like it's going to be, how's that possible? Chastisement
is hard. It hurts. It's painful. And listen,
God means it to be painful. It's on purpose it's painful.
If it wasn't painful, it wouldn't work. God requires the pain and
affliction so as to correct us and humble us. And look, His
purpose is not to destroy you, but rather to draw you to Himself.
That's what a father does, isn't it? Correction, so that the son
might be drawn to him, not run. And that's what he'll do. Now
I want to give you three comforting things about chastisement. First
of all, this is good if you've got something to get this. Write
this down, I'll give it to you later if you ask. I'll give you
these things. First of all, his chastisements
are out of love. They're out of love. In the middle
of your chastisement, you should understand this first, He's doing
it because He loves you. Out of eternal love. Every stripe
of the rod on the backs of sons is nothing but kindness. Kindness. You that trust in the
Lord. What is your standing? What is
your standing? You shall not be removed. What
is your standing? The Lord surroundeth them that
trust Him. And what is your standing in
chastisement? The same. The same. No difference. Remember, He has said, I have
loved you with an everlasting love. Therefore, with loving
kindness, what does He do? He draws us to Himself. And that's
not just one time, is it? Has He drawn you to Himself just
once? No, He constantly draws us to Himself. Constantly. There is no vengeance in the
heart or hand of God in chastisement. Love will not wrong us, nor will
it ever be needless suffering. Now you got that? None of these
chastisements are needless. They're always intended for a
very specific purpose. Always. That's what love does. Love doesn't just randomly chase
it. Love purposefully chases. They're
not needless. One saint, I read this, one saint
had his son beheaded because he would not recant. They brought the head of his
son to him in prison. And they said, who is this? And he took the head, stroking
the hairs of his son. And he says, it's my son. It
is my own dear son. It is the Lord. Good is the will
of the Lord who cannot wrong me. As a man who understood chastisement,
is one of love, no matter what he lost. God cannot wrong me. But who
hath made goodness and mercy to follow us all our days? So you remember that when you're
chasing sore of him. All he does is out of love. Does that not take faith? You bet it does. The second thing we should remember
in chastisement is that chastisement is of omniscient wisdom. All-knowing, perfect wisdom. God is only wise. He knows exactly
what you need and how to supply it. He knows the evils that are
in us, and He knows how to expose them so as to seek His face and
confess and forsake them. You know how to do that? You know how to chase in yourself
so as you would get rid of your sin? I'll tell you this, we would
never let it go. We would find a way around it
so we get to keep whatever it is we want. But God knows exactly what He
needs to pry from your hands. It's wisdom. Omniscient wisdom. And yet He never in wisdom goes
too far to drive you to despair. He knows how far you can go.
And wisdom always stops short of complete despair. This is all perfect wisdom and
the surest and most efficient method. And at the same time,
the most gentle one is devised. Don't you see that this is the
most gentle way to do it? You think it's the most harsh,
don't we? We think this has got to be the
worst. This has got to be the most harsh method ever devised. And it's not. It's the most gentle
method. There's only this method. There's
no other method. Why? Wisdom has designed it,
purposed it. And thirdly, his chastisement
is complete faithfulness. Listen to what David said, "...in
faithfulness thou hast afflicted me." Faithful are the wounds of what? A friend. A friend. God is so faithful, He will not
pass by one single fault. How many faults do you pass by
your children? You love your children, don't
you? But you don't deal with every fault, do you? Why? You're not faithful. We're not
faithful parents. God is faithful. He is so faithful
He will not let anything slide. He will always correct you. He
will always instruct you. Now, he may do it over a long
period of time, but he's faithful to notice. He's caring enough
to notice. The very hairs of your head are
numbered. He is faithful. He is faithful
to expose our shame and sin so that we may loathe it and forsake
it. Isn't that right? The thing we
loved, when God exposes it, what do we do? We hate it. It's the very most detestable
thing in all our sight is our sin that we love. Isn't that
what He told us in the covenant? He said, you will loathe yourselves. What is He doing in faithfulness? He is providing that covenant.
He's doing that for us. I'm thankful for that, aren't
you? I'm thankful that I loathe myself and adore Him. This is
what He does. He's faithful to do it. Our Father is faithful. He never
tries, He never tires of doing what is best for us. He is never
so weary as to let sin abide, but in love drives it from our
hearts, and when it is done, He will also be faithful to bless
us. When you're in chastisement,
keep this in mind. The blessing is coming. The blessing
is coming. The blessing is coming. Just
as faithful as he was to chasing, he will be faithful to deliver
you from it. And lastly, this fourth thing, chastisement is
in power. Power. Whatsoever God purposed
in our correction will never fail to bring it to pass. When
you're chasing your children, how do you know you'll be successful? You don't. Matter of fact, most
of the time we weren't. We aren't. We try something,
and it didn't work. And what do we have to do? We
have to find another way to make it work. Why? We don't have any
power to make our chastisement effectual. You listen. God's chastisement always accomplishes
what He purposes to do. Always. Never fails. That's good,
because we don't have to go through it again. God doesn't fail. So whatever
that chastisement was for, that's exactly what it accomplished.
And listen, when it's done, it's done. You know He never fails. His hand may be on us for minutes
or years, It may be a constant stream of troubles and sorrows,
but whatever His purpose will not fail or stop until it is
completely done. It will not stop until it's done.
You got that? Whatever, however long it takes,
God is going to do it because He's faithful. And because His
power is omnipotent, He will not fail to do it. But know this,
God understands what measure we are able to take. Think with me just one minute.
What if God were to show you exactly who you are by nature? Completely, right now. Friend, you would be destroyed.
You wouldn't get up off this floor. You would die right here.
If you knew exactly how corrupt we are. But He shows us in measure,
understanding our needs. You remember he told those people
in Israel, he said the days had been shortened. Why? For the elect's sake. Why do you think that they were
beat with, what is it, 50 stripes minus one? Because God always knows the
one more stripe would do it. You see, omnipotence and power
understand what you take. And so then, in chastisement,
you may be sure that whatever God is purposing, it will be
effectual. Let us be sure that our souls
that are chastened, it is the power of God will bring a peaceable
fruit. I want you to turn here because
I'm going to close with this. Go to Jeremiah chapter 31. In this chapter, there's some
blessed promises here. Blessed things. Jeremiah chapter
31. Lord, in this chapter, you can
look at verse... But in these previous verses,
the Lord, He tells of a time of their deliverance. He tells
of His great love and mercy for Israel that He will build again.
They were in captivity. He said, I'm going to build it
again. You can be sure I'm going to build My church. I'm going
to gather My people. I will preach My gospel and they
will come. And they will come weeping. They
will come mourning over their sin. And He says in verse 18, I have
surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus." Now this is one
who has been called. Ephraim is a picture of the church
after they have been called, after they have come weeping,
after they have been rejoicing in the gospel. Yet Ephraim is
here, his son, bemoaning himself. And what does he say? Thou hast
chastened me. And I was chastened. He said,
Lord, you chastened me, and there's no doubt about it, I was chastened. I was whipped. Now this is the
cause. As a bullock, unaccustomed to
the yoke. What does a bucking bull do to
the yoke? He kicks. He hurts himself. And what is his prayer? Turn
thou me. And what is his hope? And I shall
be turned. For thou art the Lord my God. Surely after I was turned, I
repented. And after I was instructed, I
smote upon... Notice the order there. He didn't say, I repented and
then I was turned, did he? He said, no, you turned me. Well,
how did he turn me? He chastened me. And when he
turned me, guess what? I repented. You see the effect
of chastisement? The effect of chastisement is
to bemoan self. It is to be turned. It is to
be turned by God. And then we repent after we are
turned. Do you expect to ever repent
before you're turned? Do you expect to ever repent
before you're chastened? No. I was chastened. I was turned. Then I repented. And after that,
I was instructed. What did I do? I smote upon my
thigh. I was ashamed. Yea, I was confounded because
I did bear the reproach of my youth. That's the result of chastisement
right there. Of loving chastisement. Of wise
chastisement. of faithful chastisement and
of powerful chastisement. It always brings the believer
right back to the feet of Christ. And listen to the fruit. Here's
the fruit of it. Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he a pleasant child? For since I spake against him,
I chastened him. I do earnestly remember him still. Therefore my bowels are troubled
for him. I will surely have mercy upon
him, saith the Lord. And then he commands this, set
up waymarks, make them high heaps, Set up thine heart toward the
highway, even the way which thou wentest. Turn again, O virgin
of Israel, turn again. Isn't this what I'm talking about
this morning to you? I'm setting up markers here. Christ is the
way. Have you backslidden from Christ?
Get back in the way. How? It's only through one way.
Loving chastisement, he'll do it. And when he does it, you'll
be back in that way. You'll come back. Now, in the remaining portion
of this, I'm going to read it to you. He has a prayer here
to those who are chastened. He says to God, he says, Do good,
Lord, to them that are good. Ooh, who is that? If I'm chastened,
how in the world could I have... You're good because God made
you that way. You're good in Christ. You're
upright in heart because of Christ. And God will do good to them
that are good, to them who are in Christ. But I want you to
know this. There's a warning here in verse
5. He says, "...as for such that turn aside to their crooked ways,
the Lord shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity."
Who's are these? These are apostates. I'm going to ask you a question. I want you to contemplate this
with all your heart. What is the difference between
a backslider and an apostate? Nothing. Nothing but the grace
of God. The backslider will always turn
again. The apostate as the dog returns
to his vomit and never returns again. There's a difference. Grace. Grace. And so what does grace then yield?
He said this, but peace is upon Israel. Even in the midst of your chastisement,
there's peace. Peace with God. Not peace in
your heart. Not until you turn. Not until you're brought back.
But friend, there is peace. Christ purchased it. And no one
can take that from you. Chastisement is very uncomfortable.
But if we hold these truths of God's chastisement, we can have
comfort in chastisement. He's doing it out of love. He's
doing it out of wisdom. He's doing it out of power. And
He's doing it out of faithfulness. These things should hold us and
keep us. These are way marks, aren't they? These are markers
set in the way, so that you do not leave Him. Turn to Him. He will embrace you. I'm glad for such a God as this.
I'm thankful. I pray that God would keep us
in this and show us these things.