Good morning. Let's see everybody
here. I'm afraid we might have one
or two. Whether it gets you one, if you will, let's turn to Psalm
35. Psalm 35, one of the first three
verses. David wrote, he penned the Psalms,
and I was thinking of his influence. He says that the Lord's words
are sweet. He said, How sweet thy words unto my taste, yea,
sweeter than honey to my mouth. Well, what was he reading? He
wasn't reading Luke, was he? He wasn't reading some of the
prophets. He's reading Moses. He was reading
about Jacob. what we're gonna see next hour.
And he read that over and over and over. He said, boy, that's,
every time he'd fall, he'd say, ah, Jacob fell. And every time
he was lifted up and had Christ revealed in his heart again,
he'd say, well, that's what happened to Jacob, too. There's a host come to him.
Host angels come to him. And he was literally and spiritually,
he was physically and spiritually a child of Jacob. So that was
probably sweet to him, I'd imagine. David wrote this, it says in
Psalm 35 verse 1, plead my cause, oh Lord, with them that strive
with me. Fight against them that fight
against me. Take hold of shield and buckler
and stand up for mine help. Draw out also the spear. and
stop the way against them that persecute me. Say unto my soul,
I am thy salvation. David writes there, plead my
cause, plead my cause. Who pleads a cause? An intercessor
does. In our system, court system,
we have lawyers, a representative, and someone is our representative,
they're our advocate. They intercede for us against
a system we can't communicate with. Plead my cause. But you know, a sinner needs
more than just a good legal argument. There's so much of that in our
day. Everybody's got their defense just so, every little block checked
and got all their ducks in a row, all their doctrines in a row.
We need more than just that. We need full and total representation
before the holy God of heaven and earth. That ain't reading
out of the right book, is it? That's having someone plead your
cause. Having a person plead your cause.
And who's gonna do that? Proverbs 22, it says, the Lord
will plead their cause and spoil the soul of those that spoiled
them. He'll handle it. He'll plead the cause of his
people. He'll spoil the souls of those that spoil his people.
It says in Proverbs 23, for their redeemer is mighty. That one
that bought them, he shall plead their cause with thee. That's
who's gonna do the talking. You get that? What am I gonna
say? I don't know what to say. He's
going to do that. He's going to do that. Paul wrote
to Timothy. He said, for there is one God
and one mediator between God and men. Just one. That's when we, we pray through
the man, Christ Jesus. That's who does the pleading.
That's who does the intercession. That's who does the mediation,
the go between him and his pleadings. Not like you and I would plead.
How would we plead? We'd beg, wouldn't we? Oh, please. And he didn't get up there and
say, now judge, if you'd be kind and just maybe have a less sentence
or pardon a little bit or not quite as harsh a punishment.
No, no, no, no, no. He didn't go up and say pretty
please. That word mediator means a reconciler. He reconciles our
case. He reconciles our lives. He presents
the case and he presents the only evidence that'll do. For
those given to him, he presents his own blood. He presents his own blood. That's
what reconciles us back to the God we offended. His blood, his
intercession, and that's for both parties. Did you know that?
That's for both parties. The father can no longer be angry
with us. He has no cause to be angry with. He's angry with the wicked every
day, but that wickedness has been removed. It's taken away,
and it's just and right and holy for him to look on us and say,
well done, my good and faithful servant. That's right. Salvation's
right for those that Christ shed his blood for, and for us. That
satisfies the Father. How does that satisfy you? On Tuesday evening at 4.14 p.m.,
does that put a little pep in your step? There's no condemnation,
and we have no reason to be at war with God anymore. I say that,
I think I have a message, but do you remember when you was
at war with God? He says you was, and if you never was at
war with him, you're still in the battle and don't know it.
You're sleeping through the fog of war. He provides the petition. And
we have no longer a reason to be at war with him. If he shows
us that, we won't be. You'll go from fighting to thanking.
And the father has no longer any anger with us. The blood
of bulls and goats couldn't do that. It won't do. Man's blood
can't do that. A man born of Adam, it's tainted.
It's tainted blood. We have an issue of blood from
a long time ago. Our deciding to let God be the
boss ain't gonna do it. He just pretty please wishes
you'd come let him be God, and you just gotta say it's okay.
There's billboards around this nation. Let God hold the reins,
let him be the co-pilot, and I don't know what all kind of
garbage there is. I try not to look at it. That's not so. That's not who it is. If that's
who it is gonna make my petition for me, I don't need him. I don't. I need one at the table. Turn over to Isaiah 43. I didn't
know where to start and stop on this, and I thought, we'll
just read a long way. It's amazing just the simplicity
of saying the scriptures out loud. And you would think, just
like an Ethiopian eunuch, who could read this passage of scripture,
these first 13, 14 verses, and not just be, like, that settles
all of it, asked and answered. You know what I mean? Well, what
about this? God said so. Next. It's like we're dead. It's almost
like mankind ain't got no ears. They ain't got no eyes and they
can't see these things. And they walk around acting like
they can do something about it. Isaiah 43 verse one. But now thus saith
the Lord that created thee. This is the creator speaking
to the creation. Get that? First off, this is
God speaking, you ain't God. But now thus saith the Lord that
created thee, O Jacob. And he that formed thee, O Israel,
fear not, for I have redeemed thee. I have called thee by thy
name. Thou art mine. I own you. When thou passest through the
waters, I'll be with thee. And through the rivers, they
shall not overflow thee. When thou walkest through the fire,
thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
You ain't gonna smell like smoke. For I am the Lord thy God, the
Holy One of Israel, thy Savior. I gave Egypt for thy ransom,
Ethiopia and Seba for thee. Since thou wast precious in my
sight, thou hast been honorable, and I have loved thee. Therefore
will I give men for thee and people for thy life." Doesn't
that break your heart? Think of the one that you love
most or the group of people that you love most. What if the Lord
gave them so you would see Christ. I mean, just turn them over,
let them go and kill them, butchered them. It'd be right for him to
do so. He said, I've given nations for
you. Nations. All those, and that's humans,
right? Those priests of all, we read about it. Brother Gabe
said something about it last week. I've told you before. It's
recorded. They're walking in knee-deep blood. You imagine
this whole room being filled two and a half feet full of goat's
blood and sheep blood and all this animal blood. You're walking
through it. They didn't do nothing. I've given nations for you. Nations. Since thou wast precious in my
sight. Verse 5. Fear not for I am with thee.
I will bring thy seed from the east and gather thee from the
west. I will say to the north, give up. And to the south, keep
not back. Bring my sons from far and my
daughters from the ends of the earth. Those that he's going
to represent, he's going to plead, he shall save his people from
their sins. You get that? Well, I'm gonna
do my best. If they just cooperate, I'd sure
like to let them. We're dealing with God, not dealing
with somebody like us. Verse seven, even everyone that
is called by my name, for I have created him for my glory. I have formed him, yea, I have
made him. Bring forth the blind people
that have eyes and the deaf that have ears. I was thinking, if
it was up to me, though I have a charge, God, you mommies and
daddies, just like I'm a mommy and her, me and mama and daddy,
God holds us accountable for how we govern our homes and lead
our children and things like that. Read the Proverbs, I've
preached on this before. Told you plainly as I could. We're
responsible for those things. We have an accountability with
that. However, if it's up to me, I might be the means, but
if it's up to me to bring my children, to bring those I love,
to bring those I care about, to hear the gospel, they ain't
gonna come. If it's on my plate to do it, it ain't gonna happen.
He has to do it. He has to do it. Does that mean
I don't tell nobody to come to church with me? No, that means
I tell everybody to come to church with me. Broadcast that seed. Cast that net. I don't know what
fish the Lord might be pleased to put in there. That's His business.
Bring forth the blind that have eyes and the deaf that have ears.
Verse 9. Let all the nations be gathered together and let
the people be assembled who among them can declare this and show
us former things. Let them bring forth their witnesses
that they may be justified or let them hear and say it is true. Ye are my witnesses, saith the
Lord. You're my witnesses and my servant
whom I have chosen that ye may know and believe me and understand
that I'm he. Before me there is no God formed,
neither shall there be after me. I even I am the Lord and
beside me there is no savior. He's it. Now with that, he says,
I have declared, he ordered it, he willed it, I have saved, he
performed it, and I have showed, he's gonna show it in our hearts.
He purposed it, he performed it, and he proclaims it. He did
all that. He did, I, I, I, I, didn't he?
When there was no strange God among you, therefore, ye are
my witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God. Yea, before the
day was, I am he, and there is none that can deliver out of
my hand. I will work, and who shall let
it? Who shall let it? Due to this
salvation, this work of Christ. You know what we can say? If
he's pled our case, he's our mediator. That's it. He's the
go-between. He's handled all this. He's performed
all this. We can say with David, there
in our text, Psalm 35, look here at verse 24. Judge me, O Lord
my God, according to thy righteousness. Judge me. Judge me according
to your righteousness. How could that be? You don't
have any. Do you have any? I don't have any. I have Him.
Judge me according to your Christ. Isn't that something? Verse one
says, plead my cause, oh Lord, with them that strive with me.
Fight against them that fight against me. Christ has provided
the full intercession, and he provides the full protection
of that purchased possession. He protects it fully. Many times
throughout, David said, Lord, fight against those that fight
against me. That's wise. It is. He was asking for Saul
that was looking to kill him and chasing him into caves. And
his son, sometimes, that was trying to kill him and overthrow
him. Get that crown on his head. He can be the boss for a while.
He prayed for that, but it's good to take it to the Lord and
let him do the fighting. You understand that? Lord, you
fight it. It don't work out when I do that. You do the fighting.
We're not to pray that our enemies be destroyed, but that the Lord
discerns who our enemies are. Don't we? Do you know who your
enemies are? Do you know who the wolf is? Nope. be those of your own house. What if I live alone, it's still
gonna be those of your own house. I was on deserted island, it'd
be that in my house too. Many times David asked that so we're
supposed to just pray Lord, Lord kill everybody. Call down thunder
on them. Lock this place up. Don't listen
to you. Well, we don't have enough sense
to know who's his and who ain't. Lord, you handle all of it. Just
let me praise you, and you do everything. That's our petition,
isn't it? That's what we want, for that
one that provided everything to give us protection. Turn to
Matthew 5. We're gonna turn a little bit.
It won't hurt us. Matthew 5. He just told those, if somebody
sues you, they said, give me that coat you got. He said, well,
give him your coat, go ahead and give him the cloak underneath
it too. Take it off. You want it, you have it. Matthew five, verse 43. Says,
you have heard that it had been said, thou shalt love thy neighbor
and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, love your
enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate
you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute
you. Why would we do such a thing?
That, does your Bible say that there? That ye may be the children
of your Father which is in heaven. Do that, do that. The spitting
image. We're gonna be in the spirit
and the image of our Father, made just like him, isn't it?
For he maketh the sun to rise on the evil and on the good,
and sendeth the rain on the just and unjust. For if ye love them
which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans
the same? Somebody just so kind to you
and loves you so friendly, they bring you donuts in the morning
and just do everything nice for you. Well, I love you. So does everybody else, don't
they? Easy peasy. If you salute your brethren also,
Well, I go to church with them. What do you do more than others?
Don't the publicans do that? Oh, I know that one. We go to
water polo games together. We have a good time. Yeah, I
know, that's my buddy. I'm kind to him, right? Be ye
therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is
perfect. Be ye holy for I am holy. What's that? Pray for your
enemies. Is that what the text says? Is that what the text says? That's what comes next, isn't
it? What are we to do then? We got problems. Do you have
problems? You've been surrounded by issues and trials and people
that hate you and are against you and just making life hard
and it takes your thoughts away from the gospel to worry about
things of this world. Have you been there? What are
we to do? Well, I got to do something. I got to get after it. Chase
them down. I got to fix it. I'm going to sit down. I'm going
to read them scripture until they get it. Remember Michael the Archangel? Hey, buddy, that's up there,
isn't it? You reckon you take him on in a fist fight? We'll
look at this next hour. Them angels aren't plump little
babies that have a set of wings and are cute. You bump into a
seraphim and you got something on your hands. Two of them took
on two whole cities. And one. You know what I mean?
We don't know who we're messing with. But Michael's the archangel.
And he contended with the devil about the body of Moses. Satan
said, I want that body. I'll just take that. Anything
I can get. Just devouring and biting. Why
would he want a body? I don't know. He wanted it. Did
Michael just take him to task? Because Satan was an angel too
that fell, wasn't he? Now Michael's in charge. Whoop him? No. He didn't do that. He didn't
bring a railing accusation against him. He didn't even say what
was true. He said, the Lord rebuke you. The wisdom of the head angel.
The Lord rebuke you. The Lord do it. Why? Paul quoted
this, and Moses wrote this in Deuteronomy. He said, to me belongeth
vengeance and recompense. Vengeance is of the Lord. That's
his business. Because he can rightfully do
so. He has the wisdom to do so and the power to do so. I don't
have the wisdom and I don't have the power. By me saying I, we
don't. None of us do. We don't have
the wisdom. We'll tear up the wheat with the tears. He does. Vengeance is mine and recompense.
Their foot shall slide in due time. In his time. For the day
of their calamity is at hand and the things that shall come
upon them make haste. The Lord is the only one who
knows who our enemies truly are. Our enemies. His and mine. He must sort that out. And I
pray each are his. Don't you pray for them. Said
the Lord shall go forth as a mighty man. He shall stir up jealousy
like a man of war. He shall cry, yea, roar. He shall
prevail against his enemies. or an exodus, we read the Lord's
a man of war. The Lord is his name. Now you
reckon how many people around this county is reading that this
morning? You ever heard that? He's a God of war. He's gonna
win. We need to lift people up this
morning. It's rainy, it's bad weather out there. God sent the
rain, isn't he? What we pray for, I told you
a few months ago. Droughts, oh, the dams are Going to fall in
on themselves. Ain't no water to hold them up.
We'll pray for rain. He sends rain. You have some
smart alecks sometimes. Well, we need snowpack instead.
Well, look, there's 14 feet of snow up on the mountains. Next.
He sends it, don't he? That's who does it. We're to
pray for our enemies that despitefully use us just like Saul of Tarsus. He had marching orders to go
persecute the church of God, didn't he? You reckon that fellow
was bad? A kid could have told you that. I don't want to be
in the same room as that guy. What did Stephen do? They stoned
him. It's all sitting there holding
their coats. And they stoned Stephen. He called upon God,
saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. It's time. This is my
hour. You take me. You've pleaded for
me. You receive me. And he kneeled down and cried
with a loud voice, saying, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.
And when he had said this, he fell asleep. For one standing
there, the Lord didn't lay that charge. It was laid on Christ. As they stoned him to death.
I pray the Lord give me that. The boldness to believe God,
to forgive others. To have faith to forgive. I want
that. Then the Lord dealt with Saul,
didn't he? And he said, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? We're one with him. The Lord
knows our enemies. We're one with him. It's the
same enemy. Back in our text in Psalm 35. Psalm 35 verse 1. Says, plead my cause, O Lord,
with them that strive with me. Fight them. Fight against them
that fight against me. Take hold of shield and buckler
and stand up for mine help. That buckler I've told you before,
you remember what that was? When we learned our words? It's
alligator skin. It's a covering. It's a buffer,
isn't it? An atonement. It's like alligator
skin. And I thought this week, I was
like, you know, alligator skin, that's rough on the outside.
You wouldn't want to hug an alligator. They're hard, they're rough.
But on the inside, it's awful smooth, isn't it? Well, the same
one that's our protector, That's redeemed us, purposed this and
provided for us. To us, that's sweet and tender.
To the world, that's, oh, it's so offensive. Same way for his
ministers. Old brother Don, people say,
that's the meanest, hardest fellow I ever met. I say, that's tender
and loving to me. That man's told me the truth.
He cared enough for me to tell me the truth. That's sweet. I don't care if the world finds
it offensive. I said, Lord, you be my buckler. And it says, stand
up for mine help. It doesn't say stand with me,
does it? You do the standing. I thought that time when only
the God man was standing there in John 18. They came to him,
he said, who do you seek? They said, Jesus of Nazareth.
He said, I am. And they fell back. Hundreds fell flat on their backs.
If we had a lick of sense, they'd have got up and ran as hard as
they could, as fast as they could away, wouldn't they? They didn't.
He said, I've told you that I am. If therefore you seek me, let
these go their way. What does our protector do? Stands
in our place. Let them go. You take me. Do
you want me? You can have me. Let them go.
What are things you and I cannot stand up against? We can't stand
up against the punishment of sin. That's what Paul wrote, said,
there's now, there's therefore now no condemnation to them which
are in Christ, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit.
I can't, I can't stand that condemnation. I can't stand to that punishment. Christ stood up for us, didn't
he? It says in Isaiah 54, no weapon
that's formed against thee shall prosper. And every tongue that
shall rise against thee in judgment shall condemn. This is the heritage
of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of
me, saith the Lord." They're holy. He declares it. There's no condemnation. He said,
that's mine. And my righteousness is what they're wearing. The
Lord stood up. I thought Isaiah, when the Lord
said, he heard the voice of the Lord saying, whom shall I sin
and whom shall go for us? I need somebody to go work. Here am I, send me, I'll do it.
Send me, I've seen your salvation. I'll go, I'll go. That's Christ
speaking in him, isn't it? He stood up before time, the
Lord said, I have a people who'll make just like my son, but they're
gonna be sinful. They can't redeem themselves.
Who's gonna stand in their place? Our Redeemer said, I'll stand
for them. I'll live for them, I'll die for them, I'll rise
again for them. Satisfy it all. He became the
surety for his people even unto the death of the cross. Our protection
and our provider the whole way. He said, he that heareth my word
and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life and
shall not come into condemnation. But we're passed from death to
life. Those things we can't stand against, he stood for us. Knowing
this, we are free from the power of sin. We're free from the condemnation
of it, we're free from the power of it. Paul said, sin shall not
have dominion over you. You're not under the law, you're
under grace. But now being made freed from sin and become servants
to God, you have your fruit unto holiness and the end everlasting
life for the wages of sin's death. That's all we're gonna get. But
the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. We're freed from the power of
sin. We're freed from that condemnation
of sin. Someday we'll be free from the presence of sin. It
would be a foreign thought to us. I can't imagine that. The
human mind, can't Kate enter into that at all. Lord told Martha
that. He said, your brother's gonna
rise again. She said, oh, I know, I know, because she knew everything.
God's telling her something right to her face, and she, I knowed
him. Who rise again that last day in the resurrection? I know
that. And he said, Martha, I am the resurrection. I am the resurrection
and the lie. And he that believeth in me,
that though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever
liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believe thou this?
Do you believe that? Well, I understand the doctrine
of the resurrection. No, that's a person. It's a person. We read, O death, where is thy
sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is
sin, the strength of sin is the law, but thanks be to God which
giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. It's a
person that accomplished all those things. Wisdom's not something
we merely obtain, that we learn. I hope we learn some. I hope
the Lord grows us some. But wisdom's a person to the
believer, to the child of God. Righteousness is not just a garment
that we put on and we could take off and hang it in the closet.
No, it's a person, the Lord, our righteousness. Sanctification
is not something we attain to. Holiness is not something that
we can clean ourselves up. It's a person. Redemption is not just a verb
of buying something. It's the person of our Redeemer.
And that resurrection is not just a thing that will happen,
it's a person. Salvation's not a theological
truth, it's a person. It's a person. There in our text,
Psalm 35, it says, plead my cause, O Lord, with them that strive
with me. Fight against them that fight
against me. Take hold of shield and buckler and stand up for
mine help. Draw out also the spear and stop the way against
them that persecute me. Say unto my soul, I am thy salvation. He's provided for us, he's protected
us, and here he's gonna proclaim it in the heart. He's gonna say
to my soul, I am thy salvation. That's called salvation. Everything
else is a head knowledge. It ain't gonna do me no good
to be a five-point Calvinist in my head. There'll be a ton
of Calvinists dead in hell at the end days. Here I speak to
my soul. That's one-on-one. That's not
getting in alignment with a bunch of other people on this earth
that have been or are now. That's God speaking to an individual.
Do you need that? Do you need that in the morning
when you wake up and you're like, how am I gonna get through today?
Well, I need faith and power and strength and good attitude
and positive thinking. No, I need Christ to speak to
my soul that He's my salvation. I know that He's the one that
provides. I know He's the Savior of sinners. I need Him to speak
to my heart that He saved this sinner. You understand that? There's total depravity. That's
common. AI can tell you that. They'll
give you a good thing on limited atonement, whatever that
new program is out. Give you all kinds of good information,
won't it? Total depravity is just an idea. I'm totally depraved. The Lord elected a people. Pharisees
will tell you that. It has to be unconditional, because
if I have any part of it, if I've done something good, that
ain't election. That's works, isn't it? That
atonement's limited to those that he's saved and called. You understand that? We're going
to persevere then. Not, well, all God's saints are going to
persevere. I am. You may die tomorrow. I still
got to get through tomorrow. You understand that? I need a
person with me, I need to speak to my soul, and that salvation's
a person. Isaiah 12 says, Behold, God is
my salvation. I will trust and be not afraid
for the Lord Jehovah's my strength and my song. That's what I said
last week. I don't want people going out
of this place and telling anybody in this community what we believe
and what we preach here. I'm gonna tell you who. Tell them
who we believe, who we preach, who we need, who sinners need.
Therefore with joy shall he draw water out of the wells of salvation.
Simeon went to that temple, didn't he? And he took in him the arms
of the Almighty God. I can't even imagine that. And
he blessed God, thanked him. And he said, Lord, now let us
thou thy servant depart in peace according to thy word, for mine
eyes have seen thy salvation. It's a person. He held. which you prepared before the
face of all people. A lot to lighten the Gentiles
and the glory of our people Israel. The Lord said to that, that instruction
to us, those that preach, comfort you, comfort you, my people,
saith the Lord. Speak comfortably to Jerusalem, speak to the heart
of Jerusalem. And crying to her, what Mike? That her warfare's
accomplished. You gonna fight my battles? Lord,
you gonna have to plead my case, defend me against every enemy
that I don't even know what enemies are. And now I know that warfare
that I'm so worried about, I'm on a petition, I'm gonna ask
for, it's already accomplished. It's accomplished. Our iniquities
pardoned. She hath received of the Lord's
hand double for all her sins. Double. You've been provided
for, protected for, interceded for. All your sin's been put
away. There's a holiness. That blood
covered all the multitude of sin, didn't it? And that water
that come out the side made you clean and holy. Just like you
washed their feet last Wednesday. Remember that? You've been washed. Can't get nothing on you. Before,
all the fighting we were doing against the holy God, that's
accomplished. Now, all the fighting against the enemies of God that's
worn against you, that's accomplished. And in time to come, That final
enemy, grave, death. That's been conquered. It's already
accomplished. If I was going to make it as simple as I could,
what would be the wisest thing to say? It's finished. People want these, I mean, if
I got to get an abacus and a thesaurus to show up to hear somebody preach,
man, I'm in the wrong spot. The Lord just spoke plainly,
didn't he? He signed my door. The seed's gotta go in the ground,
and then what comes out is gonna be just like that, but there's
gonna be more of it. But it's gotta die first, you get that?
He was playing, wasn't he? And what else did he say? We
believe him on those things, you believe what he said? Lord, plead
my case, defend me against all enemies, and speak to my heart
that you are salvation. And he said, it's finished. Has
he done it? All right, let's pray together.
Father, thank you for these words of our brother David. What trials
you put him through, Lord, to beg, to cry for mercy. Lord, thank you for the trials
you've given us that we may cry for mercy, that we may give up. Our strength and our thoughts
and wisdoms and Christ would be our mediator. He would stand
for us. Lord, reveal that to our souls.
Speak that to the heart. Speak comfort to our heart. What
a blessing that is to know the person of our salvation. Forgive
us, Lord. Forgive us our doubt, our unbelief,
and our sin. Keep us as you promised you will.
It's in Christ's name that we ask it. Amen.