Psalm chapter 4. Title of the message, A Prayer
for Times of Trouble. A Prayer for Times of Trouble.
We all know what trouble is, don't we? If there's anything
that we all have in common, it's trouble. It's trouble we're born
to. Man is born to trouble, Job said,
as the sparks fly upward. But the believer in times of
trouble has a place of refuge in God, in God, in a person. The believer has a high priest
that can be touched with the feeling of his or her infirmities. And we have a blood-bought right to come to the throne of grace
and cast all our cares on Him who makes all things work together
for our good. That is comforting to me. As I get older now, as I grow
older, that is more comforting to me than it's ever been since
in my life. that God makes all things work
together for my good, no matter what it is. We sing the song,
take your burden to the Lord and leave it there. I wish I
were able to do that, to leave it there. You know, I can take
it there, but leaving it there is another matter. It's not that
easy. But listen to the psalmist here,
David. This is a man who's speaking
from experience. He's speaking from experience.
And I love the confidence, and we should have this, I love the
confidence that David has when he goes before God in prayer.
Hear me when I call. What a priceless blessing to
have an audience with the God of creation. with Almighty God. What a blessing to have an audience
with Him, to be able to come to the throne of grace and cast
all my care no matter what it is, no matter how little it is
or how big it is. But I can cast all my care on
Him to have Almighty God's full attention. You know, when we
go before Him in prayer, in sincere prayer, we have the full, absolute
attention of Almighty God. We have it. It can be read like this. ANSWER
ME! That's why I said I love David's
confidence. This is what he's saying. ANSWER ME when I call. Here's another way he says it.
Respond to my prayer. Lord, respond to my prayer. Respond
to my petition. That's what he's asking. He's
not just laying out a petition and hope God hears him, and hope
that the Lord responds. He's asking him to hear my prayer
and respond to it. There's nothing wrong with that.
Nothing wrong with asking God to respond to your trouble. Nothing. God has told us to call
upon Him, but He's not told us to call upon Him in vain. It's
never in vain to call upon God, unless we're insincere and it's
just lip service. But to truly call upon God is
never in vain. Never. He said in Isaiah, I have
not spoken in secret in a dark place of the earth. I said not
unto the seed of Jacob, seek ye me in vain. HE NEVER TELLS
US TO COME TO THE THRONE OF GRACE IN VAIN. WHEN HE TELLS US TO
COME, HE MEANS FOR US TO COME AND HE'S GOING TO HEAR. HE'S
GOING TO HEAR OUR PETITION. AND HE'S GOING TO ANSWER. GOD'S
GOING TO ANSWER MY PRAYER. AND THAT'S A CONFIDENCE, DAVID.
HEY, GOD'S GOING TO ANSWER MY PRAYER. HE'S GOING TO ANSWER
IT IN HIS TIME AND ACCORDING TO HIS WILL. AND IT TAKES US
A TIME TO GROW UP. IT TAKES A LITTLE TIME FOR US
TO GROW UP and finally submit to God's will in whatever it
is we pray about. Thy will be done. It takes a
while to come around to really understand that, to understand
it, not just say it, but to say it from the heart. Thy will be
done. Here is the reason now God can
answer me. He says, Hear my prayer, answer
me when I call, O God of my righteousness. God, who is righteous, is the
God of my righteousness. He is the God of my righteousness. Apart from Him, I don't have
righteousness. But in Christ I am made the righteousness
of God in Him, and I can come before God Almighty. I can come
before Him. I can stand in His presence.
He can answer my prayers. For in Jesus Christ, I am righteous. I am as righteous as He is. Do I feel it? No. But salvation
is not based on what I feel. It's based on the Word of God.
It's based on His Word and the working person of Christ. Now,
we do experience it. We do experience salvation. Salvation
is an experience. I don't want to belittle that.
But the righteousness of the saints comes from Him. He's the
Lord. He said in the Scriptures, He
is the Lord, our righteousness. He shall be called the Lord,
our righteousness. That is speaking of Israel. He
says that twice in Jeremiah. He says, He shall be called the
Lord our righteousness, whereby He shall be called. And then
it says, whereby she shall be called the Lord our righteousness. He's the author of it. He's the
giver of it. And he says here in verse 1,
and here's his encouragement. You want to get a hold of this.
Thou hast enlarged me, And what he's saying here, thou hast given
me relief when I was in distress. And notice here, he's speaking
in the past tense. Thou hast enlarged me when I
was in distress. Looking back on past mercies
is good to do. It's good to look back on the
past mercies of God because God never changes. He never changes. As He is, so He will be. As He
has done, so will He do. He never changes. David's saying, You have freed
me in the past when I was in distress, and this has given
me great courage and great comfort. Lord, in the past You have delivered
me many times. I need You to do it again. I
need Your help. And brethren, we'll be praying
that till the day we die. We will pray that till the day
we die. And then let me say this, spiritual growth, real spiritual
growth usually comes through distress. It comes through distress. That is when we learn the most
of Christ. That's when we learn the most
of His power. When I am weak, then am I strong. That's when we see most of the
power of the Lord Jesus Christ is when you and I are weak. It's
totally out of our hands, which really and truly everything's
out of our hands. I realize that now. It's taken
me a while. It's taken me 62 years to realize everything's
out of my hands. Everything. But spiritual growth usually
comes through distress. I caught it when Craig was praying. He said, Lord, draw us close
to you. Do you know what that usually
takes? Do you really know what that
usually takes for God to draw us up close to Him and to walk
close with Him? There's some draws that's got
to be taken off. You know, I used to do Babbitt
bearings and we'd take that Babbitt and we'd put it in a pot and
we'd heat it to 800 to 1,000 degrees. And every time I did,
and it was the same Babbitt, I mean, if I didn't use it, I
left it in the pot. Every time I heated it up, I
had to take off dross. Every time. There was never one
time that I heated it up and it was clean. I'm thinking, where
does this keep coming from? Mm. Spiritual growth usually comes
through distress, but God is able to make all our
trials work together for our good in His glory. He knows what's good for us.
No good thing will the Lord withhold from us, will He? That's what
He says. No good thing. And it's not presumption for
a child to call upon his father in times of trouble for help,
to appeal to him for mercy, to appeal to him for forgiveness,
to appeal to him for cleansing. If God would just pull back the
curtains and let us have a real spiritual glimpse of who He is,
and what we have, and the power that He has to do what we ask
and to deliver, we would never stop praying. We would not stop
praying, nor would we stop praising Him for who He is. We wouldn't
do it if we could just see that. But what's happening here is
David is looking back on the past mercies of God and he's
finding some comfort and he's finding some encouragement that
God's going to deliver him again, that God's going to bring him
through this. Can we not say, Here I raise my Ebenezer, hither
by thy help I've come. Forty years has gone by now since
I have heard and believed the gospel. And I believe I could
say this every morning when I get up now. I realize it. I realize that every morning
when I get up, I can say, LORD, here I raise my Ebenezer, hither
by thy help I've come. You've kept me. You've protected
me. You've fed me. You've clothed
me. You've taken care of me. And
you know what? He'll continue to do that until
He takes me home, takes us home. God is faithful to His Word.
He'll keep His promises. You can take God at His Word.
You can take God at His Word. The Scripture says He has honored
His Word above His name. He's faithful to His people.
He said, I'll never leave you nor forsake you. He's faithful
to His Son. He's going to honor His Son.
He's going to honor His Son. He's faithful. And therefore
David asked, and he says, Have mercy upon me and hear my prayer. Respond to my prayer. Lord, have
mercy upon me. Pray like this. Have you ever
been so burdened about something you've just bowed before Him?
And, Lord, have mercy upon me and respond to my request. Mercy is one of our greatest
needs. And the Scripture says He delights
to show it. He delights to show it. Oh, ye sons of men. Now He's
going to turn to the sons of men. O ye sons of men, how long
will you turn My glory into shame? What is the believer's glory?
The Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ. I thought
about this. I sat back in the chair after
reading this, and I thought, My glory is Christ and Him crucified. My glory is Jesus Christ. Paul
said in Galatians 6, But God forbid that I should glory save
in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is
crucified unto me, and I unto the world. But Christ crucified
is my glory. He's my glory. And how long will
you sons of men lie on Jesus Christ? It is just upsetting
to me. And I don't watch very... very many men on these TV preachers. I can't stand to listen to them.
I cannot stand to listen to them lie on God. And I'm not going
to go somewhere that lies on God and listen to them. I'm not
going to do it. How long will you sons of men
lie on Jesus Christ? How long will you preach a lie?
How long will you say that Jesus Christ died to redeem every son
of Adam? How long are you going to say
that? How long will you lie on God
telling men and women that God loves everyone the same while
the Scripture says He hates the workers of iniquity? He hates
Esau. Jacob have I loved, Esau have
I hated. Telling men and women that Christ
wants to bless them if He'll let them. That's a lie. It's just a lie. How long are you going to lie? How long will you love vanity
and seek after leasing? Or how long will you love vanity
and seek after lying? I'll tell you how long. I can
tell you how long. Until God either saves them or
finally damns them. That's how long. That's how long. But know this, know that the
Lord has set apart, and this word set apart means this, made
a distinction. You know the Lord has made a
distinction between you and the ungodly, you and the unbeliever,
between the sheep and the goats, the Lord has made a distinction.
You're mine. You're mine. I've loved you with
an everlasting love. I've loved you with an everlasting
love. But know this, and he's saying this to the ungodly, know
this, O ungodly man, that the Lord has set apart him that is
godly for himself. So if you set yourself against
me, you've set yourself against God. If I'm his, you've set yourself
against God. And I believe the first application
to this is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the godly man. He truly
is the godly man, for He's the God-man. But all who are in Him
are godly. I'm looking at some godly people. In Christ you are. In Christ
you are. The godly man belongs to the
Lord. It says in Psalm 100, that the LORD, He is God, it
is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves. We are His people, and the sheep
of His pasture. He made us, that new creation,
that man born of God, that's a new creation, that's of God,
that's His creation, that's His handiwork. Every believer is
the handiwork of God. He's the handiwork of God. This
should encourage us in prayer. If God be for us, who can be
against us? If God be for us. God has set
that godly man apart for Himself. God is for Him. The Lord will
hear when I call unto Him. Listen to the confidence of this.
And this is how we need to learn to pray. with confidence, with
confidence. The Lord will hear when I call
unto Him. What confidence we should have
in prayer. If I am His, and He is my righteousness,
then He will hear when I call. And true prayer, true prayer is of God. If I truly pray, God has moved
me to pray for what I'm praying for. He's moved me to do it.
He's moved me to do it. If He's really burdened my heart,
if the Holy Spirit has truly burdened my heart, has your heart
really ever been burdened about something or burdened for someone? The Lord moves His people to
pray for that which He's going to do. Stand in awe and sin not. It has the same meaning as be
angry and sin not. You know, there's things that
men do that just makes you angry, isn't it? It just makes you angry. But he says here, be angry. He
doesn't tell us never to be angry. He says, Be angry, but sin not.
Don't take vengeance into your own hands. That's what he's saying.
Don't take vengeance into your own hands. Don't yield to their
level of sin. Bow to the Lord who says, Vengeance
is mine, I will repay. But I want to do it right now.
But I want my shot first and you can have him. I mean, I know
how you feel. I know, I felt like that. I want
to see you break him right now. Aren't you glad the Lord doesn't
deal with you and me like that? Don't yield to their level of
sin. Stand in awe. Listen, this is for the believer
here. Stand in awe at the very being
of God. There's none like Him. He said,
to whom, in Isaiah 46, to whom will you liken me and make me
equal, and compare me that we may be alike? Is there any like
our God? None, none. Stand in awe at the
grace of God towards you. For by grace are you saved through
faith. That's not of yourself, it's the gift of God. But by
grace you are saved. By grace you have been saved,
by grace you are being saved, and by grace you shall be saved.
It's all by grace. Henry said one time in a message
I heard him preaching, he said, when it ceases to be amazing
grace, it ceases to be grace. When it's no more amazing to
you, it ceases to be grace. standing all at the grace of
God towards you. This thing could be flipped around.
I could be the ungodly. I could just as easily be the
ungodly that's standing against... Like Paul. Think of Paul. He
was persecuting the church. He's on the road to Damascus.
Actually, he's on his road to hell. He's on that road to Damascus
to persecute the church, and God stopped him by grace. My grace. Stand in awe at the
love of God for you. But God commendeth His love toward
us. Now while we were yet sinners,
a bunch of God-hating rebels, Christ died for us. When I was at my worst, He died
for me. Stand and never get over the
love of God. I know this whole religious world
cheapens it. They just bring it down to just,
they just water it down to where it's just like, I think about
2% milk. They got now, I think they got
1% milk now. It's just enough to make a collar.
I grew up on cow's milk. It was pure cow's milk. It was good, thick cow's milk. Nutritious. Don't give me that
1%. Give me all of it. Stand in awe of His work of redemption. You've been bought with a price.
You know that. You know that. When we were young, we'd think,
what do I want to do? What I want to do in life? What
career do I want? Where am I going to go to school? And then one day God calls you
by his grace and saves you and you realize I'm not my own. Lord, what would you have me
to do? Where would you have me to go? Stand in awe that you have been
redeemed, you've been purchased by the blood, it says over an
axe, by the blood of God. God. It says in Hebrews 9, neither
by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood He entered
Him once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption
for us. And stand in awe of Jesus Christ. We should always be amazed at
the Lord Jesus Christ. It says over in Matthew 8, But
the men marveled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even
the winds in the sea obey him? Jesus Christ is a very real person.
And Jesus Christ is seated at God's right hand. And Jesus Christ
is our God. He is God Almighty. Stand in
awe of Him. Matthew Henry said this, Always
keep up a holy reverence of the glory and majesty of God, and
a holy dread of His wrath and curse, and dare not provoke Him.
Stand in awe of Him. Now for the unbeliever, for the unbeliever, stand in
awe that you're not in hell right now, that you're not in hell. Stand in awe that you have food
to eat. You have food to eat, clothes
to put on, a place to sleep. God could take all that away
like that. And there is not a person on
this earth that deserves not even one breath they take, especially
the ungodly, those who believe not. Stand in awe and sin not. Sin is never approved. God never
approves sin. Never. The grace of God teaches
us to deny godliness. He said, Vengeance belongs to
me. See, it's one thing to be angry, but it's another thing
to be angry and sin not. Don't act on it. Don't act on
it. Pray about it. And one of the
things that helps you to sin not when you're angry, somebody's
done something that made you angry, is this, commune with
your own heart upon your bed. Sit down there and meditate on
the Word of God. Think upon the Lord and what
great things He's done for you. Especially at night when all
is quiet, Don't contemplate on how to get even. I'm talking
to myself here. You can listen in. I'm talking
to myself. Don't contemplate on how to get even, but meditate
upon Him and what He's done for you and the mercy He's had on
you and me. I'll tell you this. Now, there
was a time I wouldn't, I would rather be the one get shot than
the one doing the shooting. I'd rather have it that way. I'd just rather have it that
way. And examine your relationship
with the Lord, who or what really has your heart? Why art thou cast down, O my
soul, and why art thou disquieted in me? Hope thou in God. For I shall yet praise Him for
the help of His countenance. And be still. This is hard. And be still. And what he's saying
here is stop complaining against God's dealing with you. Be still. We learn most when we are quiet
and we trust His wisdom and power. That's when we learn the most.
Rest from your worries and your labor. Be still, know that I'm
God. I'll be exalted among the heathen, I'll be exalted in the
earth." The same God who has brought you thus far will lead
you home. He will lead you home. Now offer the sacrifice of righteousness. Seek those things that are well-pleasing
to the Lord. That's what he's saying. Seek
those things well-pleasing to the Lord such as worship Him
in spirit and truth, love one another, doing good, doing good to all men when you
have the opportunity, and put your trust in Him. Put your trust in Him. He will
provide Isaac said to his father, here's the wood and here's the
fire, but where's the lamb? Abraham said to his son, the
Lord will provide. Who has been providing for you
all this time? He has. He has. The more we exercise faith in
Him, the more we will find Him to be faithful. Now there'll
be many that say, who will show us any good? They ask, who will
increase our corn and our wine? I tell you what, if they knew
God, they would know who gives the increase, wouldn't they?
They would know who gives the increase. But what the natural
man is interested in is this. He's interested in temporal blessings,
temporal happiness. His attitude is, any good will
do. Who will do us any good? But it's not due for the believer.
The believer desires God who is good, knowing that what he gives is
good. It says in Psalm 84, For the
Lord God is his sun and shield. The Lord will give grace and
glory, and no good thing will he withhold from them that walk
uprightly. No good thing. Here's what the believer wants.
Here's what I want, and I want this for you. Lord, lift Thou
up the light of Thy countenance upon us. Let me have Thy favor. Let us
have Thy favor. This is the true good. It's God's
favor. Let the world have the worldly
goods. Let us have the real good, the Lord Jesus Christ. In God's favor, God's favor,
I'll wind this down. God's favor brings true happiness. Thou hast put gladness in my
heart. I've never met anyone that was upset because God saved
them. I've never met anyone. If we have real gladness, God
put it there. The salvation we have in Christ
gladdens the heart, he says, far more and far exceeds the
increase of their corn and their wine. When their crops were full
and their barns were full, they were happy. David said, Lord,
You've put more gladness in my heart than they could ever get
out of these worldly things. I have You. As Mephibosheth said,
I have the King. I have the King. When the winter of life comes,
they will die. But for the believer, his gladness
will endure at all times and will fully ripen in glory." It
will fully ripen in glory. You know, as a pastor, my first
responsibility is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ, is to
edify the church, to feed the sheep. And I've thought about
this. It's also to prepare you to die.
It's to prepare you to meet God. For that day when we lay down,
we take our last breath and we leave this world. David says, I will both lay me
down in peace and sleep, for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell
in safety. Did you notice here, peace comes
before sleep? I will both lay me down in peace
and sleep. Peace comes before sleep. And
when a sinner knows that he is the Lord's, I am his and he is
mine, that sinner can lay down and sleep. Lay down to sleep. God who's
made us, Jesus Christ who has redeemed us, and the Holy Spirit
who dwells in us will keep us to the end. Having loved His
own, He loved them to the end. It says in Psalm 121, The Lord
shall preserve thee from all evil. He shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going
out and thy coming in from this time forth, even forevermore.
God is the only one who can make us to dwell in safety in an evil
world. The president with all his men
can't keep him safe. Really. We've had him assassinated. And
they had all the guards around him. But our God is able to keep us.
And old King said, Daniel, he lamented, he said, is thy God
able to deliver thee? And Daniel answered the king,
yes, yes he is. When the believer lies down now,
we're talking about sleeping and being safe in this evil world,
but there comes a time, as I was saying, that we have to lie down
and die. When the believer lies down to
sleep in Christ, To rise to glory. He's safe. He's safe. Paul said this in 1 Thessalonians
4, But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning
them which are asleep, that you sorrow not, even as others which
have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus
died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus
will God bring with Him. Safe. They're with Him. To be
absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. It's to
be with Him. Let me close with this. God is
my righteousness. God will hear my prayer. God
is my happiness. And God will keep me safe in
this life and when I fall asleep in Christ. That applies to every
believer. every believer. It applies to
them. A prayer for times of trouble. All right.