If you will take your Bibles
and turn with me to Psalm 108. Psalm 108, we'll be looking at
the first six verses of this chapter. The title of the message this
morning is A Fixed Heart. Fixed Heart. Scripture says, O God, David
praying here to God, he says, O God, my heart is fixed. I will sing and give praise even
with my glory. The psalm here begins with the
declaration of praise to God concerning David's heart. David's
heart was fixed. Oh God, thank you. My heart is
set. It's fixed. This word fixed, it means firmly
fastened, set to an end or to a purpose. with no desire to waver." Have you ever been set, dead
set to do something? You've heard that phrase? I'm
dead set to it. Yeah. Usually, we end up not
getting it, whatever it is. We end up not doing it, whatever
we're dead set to do. But this Word is along that line. What is He so set in His heart
to do He said, I will sing, I will set my heart to sing and give
praise even with my glory. I've heard many songs in my life.
I've heard many good and bad songs. I've heard many songs
that I wish I'd have never heard. And I'll tell you, this is true
about songs and songwriting. Unless you've experienced it,
usually it doesn't ring true. Usually it doesn't ring true.
So most people write a song and try to think about what others
would feel or what others would sing about, their joys or their
sorrows. But a song sung and wrote from
experience is one that overflows from the
heart. One that overflows from the heart. It's not the sound that comes
out that affects us. I know many people who have wrote
songs that have affected me that couldn't sing a lick. But yet it did because it was
an overflow of their heart. Their heart was set on something.
And they were so set that they couldn't help but it overflowed
into song. Into some kind of meter and rhyme. David's heart was like this.
David's heart was fixed to praise God in song. To set his heart. on exalting God, honoring God,
and giving all the glory to God. That's what his heart was fixed
on. That's what he was set to do. He said, I will sing and
praise thee with all my glory. What does that mean? Is he talking
about the glory of the Father? No, he's not talking about that.
He was a king. A glorious man. He was a majestic man. He was
a man of authority. And he said, with all I have,
I praise you. I give everything to you. My glory is nothing. What does
that scripture say? It says, man, all flesh is grass. And the glory of man is as the
flower of grass. But what happens to both? They
wither and die. They fade away. See, David had
a glory as king, but it faded away. But he said, with whatever
a glory I have, with whatever I've been given, I give back
for thy glory. I sing for thy glory and thy
praise. Obviously he was a glorious man.
He was a warrior, a zealous man, a just ruler, and faithful. And yet he desired that his glory
exalt the only glory, the glory of God. He desired none of it
for himself. He fixed his heart. He fixed his heart to worship. That's those two things. Singing
and praising God. That is worship. Worshipping
God. Have you ever sung a song in
your heart? It don't have to come out of your mouth, but you're
just so overflowed with that tune of love and mercy concerning
Jesus Christ that you can't help but smile to think about it. Or when you're in trouble, sometimes the song of praise,
the gospel comes to our hearts like a song in the night. Like
a song in the night. You remember when David fled
from Absalom, his son? You know what he missed most
of all? The scripture records for us in Psalm 84. He said,
I miss thy tabernacle. I miss being in your house. I miss being with your people
the most. Why? Because that's where we
sing and we praise God together. He said, I miss that the most.
He said, I'm envious of the birds that make the nest in your sanctuary. He said, it'd be better for me
if I just keep the door of your house than to dwell in the tents
of wickedness. In other words, give me a spot
outside your tabernacle rather than mansions. I'd rather be
here. You know, I'd rather be here
with you than any other place in the world, and I really mean
that. My heart's fixed on that. You could have gave me a ticket
to anywhere in the world and I'd tore it up. I want to be
with you right now, this morning. My heart's fixed for it. I wouldn't
want to be anywhere else. And David, he was the same way.
And I know every believer is the same way. Every believer,
no matter what our providence, no matter what our circumstance,
no matter what comes our way, I know this, our heart is fixed
on Christ. My heart is fixed to worship
and to serve Him, no matter where I'm at, no matter what I'm doing.
That is what our heart is to be. Fixed on worshiping Him. The other morning, Cheryl got
up and she normally grabs, be able to study. She gets up a
little earlier and studies. But the dishes needed to be done.
They were piling up, so she did that instead. I'll tell you what,
you can worship God doing that. Matter of fact, your heart should
be set on worshiping God in doing that. In doing whatever you do,
your heart should be set on singing and praising God for being able
to do it. I'm so thankful I was able to do it. And she said that.
She was. And this is our heart. You who
believe in Christ, our heart is established, isn't it? Our
heart is set. Our heart is fixed. It's embedded
in the rock of our salvation, and we cry with all our prayers
concerning this refuge, the refuge of our souls, the Lamb of God. I wish that every moment of my
life I could feel His presence. But that's not true, is it? That's not the way it is by our
experience, is it? But praise God, it's not about
feelings. He's not talking about just setting
your emotions on Him. He's talking about determination
to set Him first in everything. He said, I will set you first
in everything. Everything. Our heart by faith, God-given
faith is fixed on Christ alone as all our salvation. Believers, in our hearts let
us sing, in my hand no price I bring. When you sing, don't bring anything. Don't bring anything. In my hands
no price I bring, simply to thy cross I cling. We cling simply by faith in Christ
and set our hearts on Him by faith, not by feeling, not by
emotion. If God would just give us a glimpse
of the utter darkness that's in our hearts, just a whiff of
the stench of our sins, surely we would fix our heart on Him
all the time. Surely we would see His precious
person. We would long to be in His presence
and away from ourselves. The problem with me is, no matter
where I go, there I am. My sin follows me. Even now. Even now, as I tell
you of God's grace and mercy, my sin still follows me. It's like a dead corpse hanging
about my neck that I long to be free of. Every soul who is born of the
Spirit of God knows some measure of their unworthiness, of their
sinfulness. That if there's any hope, if
there's any life, if there's any joy to be had in this world,
it must come by God's grace. Is that not what you found? I
found this world to give me nothing but struggle and trouble and
difficulty and pain But I tell you this by experience, I've
found God to give me everything opposite of that. Joy, peace,
meekness, temperance, faith, long-suffering, forgiveness of
sin, pardon, mercy. I find all these things in the
grace of God. And I know that if God had not
given me these things, I definitely couldn't have earned them. I mean this with all my heart. Your pastor is truly the wickedest
man in this building. Because I spend my time reading
and oh, how my heart flutters for other things. Instead of being fixed. If anybody should be fixed, I
should be fixed. So, I'm grateful for grace. I'm
thankful for grace. Because I need grace. I don't
need God to give me what I deserve. I need God to give me what Christ
deserves. And He does. And He does. But God who is rich in mercy. How rich is God in mercy? How
rich is His mercy? How great and vast is His mercy? Scripture says, For thy mercy
is great above the heavens. Go in one direction out of this
planet and measure it. Just one direction. They said it was something like,
I had it written down before, 50 billion light years away. Each light year was some billions
of miles per light year. How high is that? I don't know. I can't measure that. I don't
understand that. Well, that's how high His mercy is. That's
how rich He is in mercy. I prayed this morning before
we started that God would just pour out a thimble of His mercy. He has so much. I just prayed
pour out a thimble of His mercy on us today. Just a small blessing. Friends, He's got much more.
He's got much more mercy than that. His mercy never ends. We who have our hearts fixed
by faith on Christ, we know this, His mercy endureth. How long? Forever. And that means right now. And that means right now and
right now. and keep on going. His mercy
endures forever. Is that not something to fix
your heart on? Is that not something to set your sights on? Oh, yes,
it is. Therefore, my heart is fixed
on Jesus Christ, who is the display of God's mercy. You want to know
how rich God's mercy is? Don't measure space. Look at
Christ. For he that spared not his own
son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with
him freely?" You know, I like that word, freely. I like free. I do, I like free. I'll tell you this, nothing here
in this world is free. Somebody somewhere paid for it.
If somebody's giving you something, it's because they want something.
The only one that gives anything absolutely completely freely
is God. And the thing He gives freely
is salvation. He gives it freely to whomsoever
He will. Because by His grace, He has
made us accepted in Christ. The Scripture says He has quickened
us together even while we were dead. Even while I was living
in rebellion. Even when my heart had no inkling
to fix itself on the things of God. Even when I hated the things
of God. When I despised the things of
God. I know now that God's heart was
always fixed on me. And when Christ came, died for
me." This is why our heart sings.
Because Christ has made, Christ is, Christ is the end
of the law for righteousness to everyone that believes. The
end of what? The law. What part of the law? All of it. Every part. What about the Ten Commandments?
Yes! Free! Absolutely free from the law
in every part. You see, the law is the law is
the law. If you want to be under one part, you've got to be under
it all. You'd better go knock out those Muslims. You'd better
set up a temple. And you'd better start offering
sacrifices. And you'd better find a high priest after Aaron's
order, which you won't find. So, if you just want to take
one thing, you've got to take the whole thing. Because the
Scripture says, if you're guilty in one point, you're guilty in
all. The Scripture of the law is altogether one law. But Christ has made us free from
the law. The only law that I am under
now is the law of faith. The law of love. Law of peace. And all that's
found in Christ. Because my faith is not even
mine. It's his faith given to me. My
righteousness is his righteousness given to me. His death, his blood,
his atonement is given to me. So then what does the law have
to say to me? Innocent. Innocent of all charges. Wait a second, but aren't you
guilty? Yes. Yeah. I have committed sin and
do commit sin. But I know this, in God's eyes,
I was never guilty. I was never guilty. I was always justified in Christ
before the foundation. of the world. But in due time,
He revealed that to me and gave me life to see it. He put it
in me. There was a time where there
was no righteousness in me. There was no Holy Spirit dwelling
with me. And in me, there was a time that
God appointed for that to happen. But in the mind and purpose of
God, it was already done. Scripture says, Then he called,
he also justified. And whom he justified, then he
also what? Glorified. Do you feel glorified
this morning? Do you feel glorified? Well, it doesn't matter how you
feel. You are! You are a believer in Christ.
He has already glorified you. Is that not something to set
your heart on? Is there anything greater than that that you would
set your heart on? Fix your heart on? There's nothing greater for a
believer to know that Christ is all our righteousness. And
know this, I can fix my heart on this because I am in union
with Christ. This is an amazing, wonderful
thing. I am not a patch on Christ's
clothes. I am one with his body. He is my head and I am as his
body. That's how close we are. How do I know that? Go over to
John chapter 17. Look at John 17. This is the
prayer of Jesus as our high priest. Verse 18, As thou hast sent me
into the world, even so I also sent them into the world, and
for their sakes I sanctify myself. that they also might be sanctified
through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone,
but for them also which shall believe on me through their word."
That's you. You, believer. He's talking about
you. He's thinking about you at that point. "...that they all may be one,
as thou, Father, are in me." And I in thee, that they also
may be one." In who? In us. Yeah, you know, I have no idea
what a lot of my organs do on the inside, but I'm sure they're
important. I'm sure they're important. And
when one starts to fail, you know it's important, right? You
know it's important then. Well, friends, we are the body
of Christ. And not one of His body, not
one of His people will be left off. Christ won't be missing
any fingers or toes. No, He's perfect. And I'm one with Him. And God
sees me like that. That's how God sees me. That's
how God sees you. If you're a believer in Christ,
that's exactly how God sees you as His Son. Perfect. Holy. I didn't know this before, but
now I do. My heart wasn't fixed on this.
My heart was fixed on what I wanted to do. which was sin. But you
know what I want to do now? I want to worship Him. I want
to give my life in service to Him. What does that mean? David said,
I'll worship You with all my glory, with all my person, to
give everything. What does that mean, to give
everything? Because I know this, I've not given everything. I've
not been required of God to give my children. I still have them. I still have a home. I still
have means. I still have food. But friends, those things are
to be as nothing to give them up. God takes my children. They were his anyway. He gave them. It's his right
to take them. And he's no less good if he does. He's still good. If he kills I still trust Him." You know
what Job said? Though He slay me, yet will I
trust Him. Jesus said, if any man hate not
his father, and his mother, and his sister, and his brother,
and yea, his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." In other words, if you put your
family, your job, your means, your physical well-being, you
put any of that above Christ, you cannot be His disciple. To believe on Christ is to fix
everything on Him. Do we fail in those things? Absolutely. Absolutely. He asks to give these
trinkets of junk, and we try to hang on as tightly as we can,
and He has to pull them apart from our fingers. Seeing what He gave, is that
really necessary? Should He have to do that? Here, here it is. Take it. The Lord giveth and the Lord
taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Now, that's a man whose heart
is fixed on his Savior. That should be every heart of
every believer. And since when has the Lord ever
taken anything that's good for us? Has the Lord not, has He
ever taken away anything that He has not given back double? Oh, that our eyes would be fixed
on Him. Why then is my eyes and heart
fixed to give and sing praises to God? How is it that I am able
to believe on Christ, to know Him, and to set my heart on Him. How is it that He has chosen
me, that He has redeemed me? How is it that I know these things?
And the multiplied millions are out in the world believing somehow,
some way, that they're going to work their way to heaven. Well, my heart's fixed on Christ
because His heart was first fixed. to serve God. That's the only way any one of
us could have ever fixed our hearts is if He fixed His first. My heart, David's heart, and
your heart are fixed to sing and praise God because Jesus,
first of all, did it Himself. Truly, He alone fixed His heart. to serve God. Is that not right? Every thought, every word, every
deed that Christ had done in His life was fixed on God. Whereas we were born dead in
sins and it wasn't until God came and revealed the gospel
to us that we were fixed, it wasn't until then that we were
able to believe But see, he was born trusting, born believing,
born without sin. Remember when his mom and dad
saw him when he was at the temple? They had left and didn't know
where he was. Went back and said, hey, where have you been? And
he said, don't you know I should be about my father's business? He was 12 years old and they're
teaching the teachers. But what does the Scripture say?
Yet he subjected himself to them. He still subjected himself. Believer, there has no man labored
or fixed his heart in praising God like Jesus Christ, who being
in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with
God, but made of himself no reputation, took upon him the form, the fashion,
the nature of a servant. I wonder how well, if somehow
we were becoming enslaved people, how well we would take that. I tell you what, your boss tells
you to do something and you just, you know, we all kick it. Don't
want to do it. You kick at it. The Lord Jesus
Christ condescended from being worshiped to servant. He thought it not robbery to
be equal with God, but made of himself no reputation and took
upon him the nature of a servant. And being found in fashion in
nature as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross. So fixed was Christ to glorify
God that he was willing to offer himself a sacrifice for sin. The scripture tells us in Isaiah 50 that he set his
face like a flint, like steel. And the same thing is true in
Luke chapter 9. He set his face steadfastly to
Jerusalem, knowing his hour was come. Was there anything to deter
Christ from His death? Was there anything that was going
to stop Him from giving Himself a ransom for His people? All hell. Though they were in
favor of killing Christ, had they known, they would have not
been able to stop it. He fixed His face to be a servant
He opened His ear to be a servant, a bond slave, so that He might
save us. To glorify God for us, He gave
His back to the smiters and did not hide His face from the shame,
our shame. He was a willing sacrifice. And even when He had endured
the cross, despising the shame, He still had His face set. on God. The most amazing thing is that
God imputed our sins to Christ so much that they became His.
And God forsook God. For who? Why you? I don't know. There is no answer other than
He would. I'm not worth it. I'm not worth
it. Jesus said, I am come to send
fire on the earth, and what will I if it already be kindled? But I have a baptism to be baptized
with, and how am I straightened?" Same word, fixed. How am I straightened? Fixed. Till it be accomplished. And friends, it was accomplished.
He shall see the travail of his soul and be satisfied. I'm not satisfied with me. But God is. Because God was satisfied with
him. And when he fixed his heart to
serve God, I also in him fixed my heart. What a joy to know this, that
no matter what, no matter how feeble our efforts to fix our hearts on God, no matter how much we fail in
doing it, We can fix our hearts on this.
God still sees us as he sees his son. Our heart is just as
fixed on him and his glory as Christ himself. That's my hope. That's my joy. That's my peace. That God is satisfied. And my
sins are gone. What about your sins? Are your sins gone? Oh, fix your
heart on Him. You'll find peace, joy, contentment. No matter what happens, you'll
find peace, joy, and contentment fixed on Him. Pray that God would
encourage you and strengthen you. Bless you. Give you courage
to fix your heart. determined to fix our hearts
on Christ. Let's stand and we'll be dismissed
in prayer.