Go with me, if you would, back
to Psalm 39. Psalm 39. This is truly a wonderful
Psalm. This really is a wonderful Psalm. It's a Psalm of honesty. Every word in the scripture is
an honest word, but this is a psalm of honesty concerning the reality
of our life here on this earth. The reality of our life here
on this earth. The heading at the top of my page says the brevity
and vanity of life. That means the shortness of it. It's so short. It's so short. I know sometimes the days seem
long, but life really is so short. And the emptiness of it. Hate
to say that, but it's just so. You know, you want something,
you want something, you get something, and then all of a sudden you
don't want it anymore. The emptiness of it. Job said that life on
this earth is few days and full of trouble. And that's what David
was writing about here, the brevity and vanity of life. And I don't know when David wrote
this in his life. I don't know what period of life
Old man, young man, I don't know when he wrote this. I certainly
don't know what day he wrote this. But I'll tell you something
that I imagine, OK? I imagine, just in my imagination. A lot of times we read and study
and we imagine and think on and try to read between the lines
and develop what's happening here. And as I do that, This, because of one line in
this psalm, this is just me, okay? When I read this psalm,
I envision David feeling led to grab a quill and a parchment
because he has been pondering something and he wants to write
it down, you know, really moved by something. And I envision
him writing this psalm on his birthday. I know that sounds
silly, but I do. I can't help it. Every time I
read this psalm in my brain, I envision Him writing this psalm
on His birthday. I envision Him waking up as the
King of Israel and quietly watching and listening to all of this
commotion going on around Him. Everybody's busy working, making
Preparations for festivities for the king's birthday. And
as he watches this, I can envision him quietly praying to the Lord.
Look at the middle of verse five. Mine age is as nothing before
they. My age is nothing before you. Another year older, so what? What does that mean? The God who does not deal in
time, the eternal God, the I am, the always I am. My age is nothing. Now whether he wrote this on
his birthday or not is irrelevant, but what he wrote is very relevant,
very, very relevant. And I want us to just consider
this for a few minutes. I want us to look at seven things
that David pondered concerning his life, seven things that we
all need to ponder because the same things are true concerning
all of us. And then after we look at those,
I want us to close this message with David's plea and our plea
to God because of those seven things. The first thing is in verse four,
but let's read, let's read up to it. The first three verses
leading up to it. Verse one says, I said, I will take heed to my
ways. that I sin not with my tongue,
I will keep my mouth with a bridle while the wicked is before me.
David said, I know that the best thing I could do in this life,
this is wise. He said, I know that the best
thing I could do in this life before man and before God is
keep my mouth shut. That's the best thing I could
do. Like Job finally realized before God, he said, I think
it's time for me to put my hand over my mouth. That's when a
little maturity comes. I think it's time for me to stop
talking. That's wise, before God, before
men too. You know that old saying, it's
best to keep your mouth shut and let people think you are
a fool rather than open it and remove all doubt. He said, I
think it's best that I just stop talking. Hold your place and
look at Ecclesiastes five for just a second. Ecclesiastes five verse one. It says, keep thy foot when thou
goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear than to
give the sacrifice of fools, for they consider not that they
do evil. Be not rash with thy mouth, and
let not thine heart be hasty to utter anything before God,
for God is in heaven and thou upon earth, therefore let thy
words be few. For a dream cometh through the
multitude of business, and a fool's voice is known by a multitude
of words. So David said, I think it'd be
best for me to just keep my mouth shut. That's wise. All right, go back to our text.
Psalm 39, verse two. He said, I was dumb with silence. I held
my peace. I didn't say anything. I was
dumb with silence. I held my peace, even from good. And my sorrow was stirred. He said, I tried to keep silence
before God, but something was troubling me too much. And I
just couldn't hold it in. Verse three. My heart was hot
within me. While I was musing, the fire
burned, then spake I with my tongue." He said, I had no choice,
it was just burning inside me and I had to cry out to the Lord.
The end of verse 3, he said, then spake I with my tongue,
verse 4 says, Lord, What a comfort it is to be able
to say that name. I got to really thinking about
this today. What a blessing and what a comfort
it is. We take that name for granted. He said he was just dying inside. He's burning inside. He's troubled
inside. He's so troubled about something.
Until he couldn't stand it any longer and he cried, Lord, I
was thinking, As we were just singing, take the name of Jesus
with you. Precious name. Oh, how sweet. What a comfort it is to just
say that name. Isn't it so comforting? That
name that is above every name. What a comfort it is to know
that we can cry out to that name. It's a comfort to know that we're
allowed to. It's a comfort to know that we've
been made able to. If God did not do something for
us and create a work in us, we couldn't even do it. What a comfort it is to know
that we can, and we're allowed to, and we're able to, and we've
been made willing to. Cry out to that name, the name
of the Lord Jesus Christ. It truly is. The precious name,
oh how sweet, sweetest name I know. Hope of earth and joy of heaven.
Hope of earth and joy of heaven. The very same hope of earth is
going to be the joy of heaven for all eternity. David cried
and all of God's people cried, Lord, that means sovereign, ruler,
controller, God, God, sovereign God. Verse four, he said, Lord,
make me. This is his cry. Would you make
me as opposed to the cry of someone who does not know who God truly
is, does not know who the Lord truly is and says, God, let me
tell you what I'm going to do for you. I have some things I
need to say to you. David cries, Lord, make me. Can't we enter into that? Psalm
23 says, he makes me lie down in green. Make me lie down in
green pastures. I'm all, I'm dying inside. That's how this whole thing works. You make me. If anything's going
to happen, you're going to have to do it. You're going to have
to make it happen. You're going to have to be the
author of it. You're going to have to be the finisher of it. You're
going to have to get all the glory for it. Verse four says, Lord, make me
to know some things. All right. He's going to ask
the Lord to cause him to know some things. And the first thing
he asked for is my end. Make me to know mine end. This is something that David
pondered, and it's something that all of us ought to ponder. I have an end. I have an end. I've been saying
all day, I'm getting old. I've been telling everybody,
I'm getting old. Yeah, happy birthday. How old are you? 46.
I'm getting old. And everybody who's older than
me says, that ain't old. That doesn't matter. I'm not
promised tomorrow. My age is nothing before thee.
We're not promised three score and ten. I have an end. I have an end
of time on this earth. Our brother was talking about
that Sunday morning. There's going to come a point, you're
here, and there's going to come a point where you're not. We see that in other people.
We see that other people have an end, but it's like we don't
believe it's really gonna come to us. We can't really enter in
to our end. Men and women act like they're
gonna live on this earth forever. Moses said in Deuteronomy 32,
29, oh, that they were wise, that they understood this, that
they would consider their latter end. The fact that there's an
end coming. The fact that there's a judgment
coming. A judgment for sin. I ought to seriously ponder that
with every year that passes. Every day that passes. Every
single day. I have an end on this earth. David said, Lord, make me to
know that. Make me to know that. And he
said, make me to know this also. Verse four, he said, Lord make
me to know mine end and the measure of my days. I have an appointed
end. Hebrews 9.27 says it is appointed
unto man wants to die. It's not just that man dies.
People say do this and you'll extend your life, do that and
you'll shorten your life. No, no, no. It's not just that
man dies. Man has an appointed death. Man
has an appointed end. I need to know that. Appointed by the Lord, appointed
by God. My end is totally in the sovereign
control of my God. I need to know that for my comfort. My end is totally in the sovereign
control of my God. Every man and woman's end is.
Job 14 verse 5 says, man's days are determined, the number of
his months are with thee, only known to thee, in the hands of
thee. It says, thou hast appointed
his bounds that he cannot pass. There's a sovereign God in control
of me, in control of all of us, and not only do We have an end. We have an appointed end. Thank
God we have an appointed end. David said, Lord, cause me to
know that. And he said, cause me to know
this. Verse four says, Lord, make me to know mine end and
the measure of my days, what it is that I may know how frail
I am. David said, I know. And all of God's people know
this and ought to know this with David. He said, I am frail. I am frail. I can say that with
him. There was a time when I thought
I was 10 feet tall and bulletproof and I don't anymore. I do not. I do not claim strength. I claim weakness. I don't claim
wisdom and knowledge and understanding. I claim ignorance and foolishness. I am a babe. I'm a babe. Thank God He said
He hid these things from the wise and prudent and revealed
them unto babes because that's what I am. I'm a frail, weak,
helpless babe. Cause me to know that. I need
to know that. It's good for me to know that.
Verse five, he said, behold, thou hast made my days as a hand
breath, which is nothing. And he said, mine age is as nothing
before thee. I am nothing. All right, here's
what David has said so far. I have an end. I have an appointed end. I am
frail and I'm nothing. Man naturally thinks himself
to be something when he is nothing. We'd be so wise to ponder this
and know this. In Isaiah 40, the Lord said,
all the nations of the earth are nothing and are counted to
him. as less than nothing in vanity. That's something for a man who
thinks himself to be something to ponder. God said, I am nothing. I'd be wise to say the same thing. I'm nothing. Here's the fifth
thing, verse five. Behold, thou hast made my days
as in hand breath, and mine age is as nothing before thee. Verily
every man at his best state is altogether vanity. That means empty. I am empty. I'm empty of anything good. I'm
empty of all righteousness. I'm empty of holiness. I'm empty
of any value whatsoever. I'm empty. Therefore, verse six, Says, surely
every man walketh in a vain show. Surely they are disquieted in
vain. He heapeth up riches and knoweth
not who shall gather them. That means he won't. He won't. After all my labors
and works on this earth are done, I will leave nothing to offer
God. I will have. Nothing to offer
God on my own behalf. David said, I know that. I pray
we know that too. Because if we've truly been caused
to know that, then we're gonna say this with David, okay? Verse
seven. And now, Lord, what wait I for? This is his conclusion he came
to. My hope is in thee. My hope is in thee. After pondering
these things, That's the only conclusion he could come to.
Is that not the only conclusion we can come to? My hope is in
you. Lord, I have an end, I know I
do. I see it coming every day. I
have an appointed end. I am frail, I am nothing, I am
empty, and I don't have one thing to offer God on my own behalf. Therefore, all my hope is in
the Lord Jesus Christ, all of it. All of it. Now, if we can
say that with David and mean it, really mean it. Number one,
we're blessed. Because not many people can say
that. Not many people would repeat that and say, yeah, that describes
me. If we can say that, number one, we're blessed. But if we
can say that with David and mean it, I want to close the message
with this plea to God. because of those seven statements. If we can say those seven statements
and mean it, then this is our plea to God. Verse eight says,
deliver me from all my transgressions, because I have an end because
of my sin, and because you're in charge of it, an appointed
end, and because I'm frail and nothing and empty, and because
I can't do anything for myself, would you deliver me from all
my transgressions? I'm gonna tell you something. This is my hope and this is my
plea. This sincerely is my hope and
my plea. Lord, because for your name's
sake, as Psalm 107 verse 20 says, I think, for your
name's sake, because you are who you are, pardon my iniquity,
for it is great. Because you save sinners, please
save me because I'm the chief. I'm the worst one. This is my
plea. Lord, please deliver me because
I'm in the state I'm in. I need you to deliver me from
all my transgressions. Lord, would you shed your blood
on me? Would you cover me in all your
merciful redemption? Lord, would you be my substitute? Would you hang in the place of
my judgment? I have an end. I have a judgment. Would you hang in the place of
that judgment? Would you let it be revealed to me that you
did hang in the place of my judgment? Because I'm such a great sinner,
would you please send your deliverance to me? Not one time, and enter
into this, okay? Not one time has the Lord ever
turned away a sinner. who has come to Him asking for
deliverance from sin. People who are lost in religion
do not come to Him asking for deliverance from their sin. They
come to Him for everything else under the sun. Deliverance from
cancer, deliverance from financial troubles, deliverance from whatever,
but never their wretched, decaying, rotten sin. Every soul who comes
to Him receives and is not turned away. Not one time has he ever
turned a sinner away. Verse eight says, deliver me
from all my transgressions. Make me not the reproach of the
foolish. I'm telling you, this is my plea
to him. Our Lord said, you go tell everybody
the things the Lord has done for you. I'm speaking on my own
behalf here. The word reproach means disgrace,
shame, The reason for rebuke, that's what reproach means. The
reason for the rebuke. What he's saying is, let me not
be the reason. Keep me from being the reason for reproach coming from this
world. Let me not bring shame to the
witness of the gospel and the congregation of God's people,
please. Keep me from that. Deliver me
from my transgressions. Keep me from being a reproach
on you. Verse nine says, I was dumb. I was silent. I opened
not my mouth because thou did it. Remove thy stroke away from
me. I am consumed by the blow of
thine hand, that blow of judgment that I deserve. Remove it from
me by laying it on Christ my substitute. My deliverer, my
savior, my king. Verse 11, when thou with rebukes
does correct man for iniquity, thou makest his beauty to consume
away like a moth. Surely every man is vanity. Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give
ear unto my cry. Hold not thy peace at my tears,
for I'm a stranger with thee and a sojourner, as all my fathers
were. He said, I'm crying this with
tears. He is in agony. He's crying out. I need you, I need you to deliver
me. He said, I'm in tears over this. Please hear me. Don't hold your
peace from me. Give me the peace of knowing
that I've received mercy from you. Verse 13, Oh, spare me. I can just envision him crying
from the depths of his soul. Oh, spare me. that I may recover
strength before I go hence and be no more. Let me leave this
world in the strength of knowing that I'm a spared man. David
said, Lord, I have an end. I have an appointed end. I'm frail. I'm nothing. I'm empty. I have
nothing to offer you. All my hope is in you alone.
Therefore, this is my place. Deliver me from my sin. Keep
me from being the one who brings disgrace and shame to you. Remove your judging blow from
me. Hear my prayer. Give ear to my
cry. Hold not your peace at my tears. And spare me, please spare me
for the blood of Christ's sake. Is that not our cry? If it is, just listen to this,
okay? I'm done. Message over. I could not imagine a greater
Psalm being placed next in the canon of Scripture than Psalm
40. I could not imagine a greater
Psalm being placed after Psalm 39 Then Psalm 40. Listen to these opening verses
and we're going to close with this. All through Psalm 39, David
is just pleading and begging and crying. This is what I am.
This is what I am. And this is what I need. Please,
please. Oh, spare me. Oh, spare me, please. Psalm 40 verse one says, I waited
patiently for the Lord. And he inclined his ear unto
me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of
a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a
rock, and established my goings. And he has put a new song in
my mouth, even praise unto our God. Many shall see it and fear,
and shall trust in the Lord, blessed is that man that maketh
the Lord his trust." Blessed is that man. Every sinner who
acknowledges what David acknowledged and cries what David cried and
is caused to trust in the Lord, truly to trust in the Lord, will
have the same result as that right there. May the Lord be
all of our trust all the days of our life. Amen.